The Essay Notes

IB English Language and Literature Paper 1 Exemplar

Making It Real

1. To fully understand the purpose behind each detail in the Dettol campaign, it’s essential to consider both the author’s intentions and the audience’s mindset.
2. So, let’s place ourselves in the position of a reader:
   1. It’s 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. You’re stuck at home, constantly reminded of hygiene guidelines, feeling mentally drained, and maybe even rethinking your job or routine.
   2. You come across a bold, engaging Dettol advertisement in your feed or on a billboard. It’s bright, witty, and oddly empowering. It doesn’t just sell you a disinfectant, it taps into your current state of mind.
3. From this setup, the creator of the ad would be asking:
   1. Who is most likely to be feeling disillusioned with traditional work routines and in need of empowerment or change?
   2. How can Dettol’s campaign attract attention and resonate with people navigating pandemic stress and remote work?
   3. How can the ad feel motivational, personal, and relevant to ensure people associate Dettol with not just hygiene, but optimism, control, and daily empowerment?

Pre-planning (Dettol Advertisement)

1. Before beginning your annotation or analysis, clarify the foundational elements of the text:
2. Text Type: Advertisement (Print and Digital Campaign)
3. Overall Purpose:
   1. To promote Dettol as more than a hygiene product, positioning it as a symbol of empowerment, optimism, and leadership during the pandemic.
   2. The campaign aims to reinforce brand identity, encourage brand loyalty, and ultimately increase sales by connecting emotionally with readers navigating remote work and public health concerns.

Target Audience(s)

1. Working adults (especially those working from home during the pandemic)
   1. These are individuals frustrated with conventional work structures and looking for purpose, routine, or motivation during uncertain times.
      (This is the primary audience for the text.)
2. Health-conscious individuals
   1. Those already interested in cleanliness and hygiene during the pandemic and who are likely to purchase disinfectant products regularly.
3. Everyday consumers affected by COVID-related changes
   1. This includes middle-class individuals across Britain dealing with lockdown fatigue, seeking some control or reassurance in their daily routines.
4. The typical demographic includes middle to lower-middle class individuals in the UK, many of whom are either working from home, unemployed, or facing personal or professional uncertainty during 2020.

Exemplar Plan: Dettol Campaign (2020)

Structure:

Each paragraph is based on a distinct idea that supports the overall thesis.

Thesis

The Dettol campaign reimagines a hygiene product as a symbol of empowerment during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through colloquial tone, irony, motivational rhetoric, and deliberate visual design, the campaign appeals to lower to middle-class Britons working from home, ultimately strengthening Dettol’s identity as a socially aware and essential brand.

Bird’s Eye View

1. Dettol draws on pandemic-specific context and cultural references to create resonance and relatability.
2. The campaign uses motivational tone and irony to encourage personal agency and emotional engagement.
3. Language devices such as listing, metaphor, and humour are employed to reinforce relatability and brand positioning.
4. Visual elements like colour, image, and layout are strategically designed to enhance brand recognition and emotional appeal.

Point 1: Dettol uses pandemic context and cultural references to create emotional resonance.

1. “Wake up whenever. No suits. No ties. No rules.”
   1. The use of irony and a list of short, fragmented clauses
   2. Mocks rigid office routines and provides comic relief, aligning with readers' pandemic fatigue.
2. “Sticky tube floors”
   1. A cultural in-joke familiar to British readers
   2. Builds ethos and relatability, presenting Dettol as a brand that understands its audience.
3. September 2020 campaign launch
   1. Aligns with remote work culture and heightened public concern over hygiene
   2. Demonstrates contextual awareness and reinforces Dettol’s relevance.