Treatment Note I wrote, designed and referenced for a well known film and ad film director.

1. DETTOL COOL
TREATMENT NOTE
AGENCY: Havas Worldwide Delhi
DIRECTOR: Name Removed
PRODUCTION HOUSE: Name Removed

2. DETTOL COOL
TREATMENT NOTE

3. MEANING & VALUE
Dettol is a familiar name and an integral part of our
vocabulary and tradition. It has transitioned from a
brand name to an every day word that evokes
feelings of trust, confidence and a sense of serenity.
For mothers around the world, it is a pillar of
strength as it provides a snuggly, warm and cozy
feeling draped in a blanket of health and hygiene.
Our film is a tale of a mother for whom her home is
her haven. She considers it her responsibility to
keep bad elements such as diseases, body odour and
germs at bay. But at the same time, she is rational.
She doesn’t panic when her children get exposed to
these elements because she has the world’s greatest
weapon – Dettol Cool.

4. Dettol Cool – It may be a slayer of germs
but it is gentle, cool and refreshing, much
like a mother that loves and cares for her
children but when a predator invades, she
becomes a ferocious warrior.
Our film is about one such loving mother
who appreciates her son’s achievements,
be it in academics, arts or sports, but
ensures his safety and keeps him
grounded by teaching him the real
meaning of ‘cool’. She is quick to point out
that style and success may be cool in
school but what’s really cool is being
germ-free and consequently odour-free.

5. STORY FLOW
For the purpose of adding some flavour and drama
to the film, one possibility is to open with the shot
of a youngster’s feet tiptoeing into a house.
The feet cross the living room and enter the
bedroom.
An unsuspecting woman is making the bed.
Suddenly she senses something. It’s a smell. Her
face scrunches up. It smells like body odour.
She turns around. It’s her 15 year old son. He is
holding a trophy in his hand and smiling wide. He
wants to make his mother proud. He says, “Mom,
look what I got, it’s so cool.”

6. The mother is happy. She has a big smile on her face.
She holds the trophy in her hand and says,
“Congratulations! A trophy…”
However, the smell bothers her. She waves the air
away from her nose and says, “…sweat and some
body odour too…not cool.”
We cut to a doctor, amicable and impressive, in a
white coat in her clinic. With authority, she says,
“Humidity makes us sweat…”
Next to her is a screen on which we see our boy
playing tennis on a hot and humid day. He raises his
arm to smash the ball. The doctor explains, “…and
hidden germs in sweat…”
We see a close up of sweat streaming down his face
and body. A germ patch around his armpits reveals
the hidden germs. The doctor continues, “…cause
body odour.”
We cut to a pack of Dettol Cool emerge with a bang
from a layer of ice. The Doctor’s Voice over states,
“Dettol Cool…”

7. We cut back to the boy on screen. This time, he is
taking a shower. We still see the germ patch on his
armpit. The boy begins to apply the soap around
the area. The Doctor’s Voice Over continues, “…
with 12 hour odour protection…”
We now see the Dettol ticker appear in the germ
patch as it moves like a clock arm and eradicates
the germs along the way. Super reading “Get 100%
better protection” appears on the screen. The
Doctor’s voice over continues, “…it kills germs…”
We see the boy thoroughly enjoying the fresh
feeling of a Dettol bath. He feels different now. He
is refreshed and reenergized. He jumps out of an
iceberg-like wall of ice and menthol. The visual is
reminiscent of a growling lion emerging from his
den. The Doctor’s voice over adds, “…and its
menthol formulation…”

8. We cut to the house again. The boy is happy, fresh
and animated once again. He tiptoes towards his
mother busy in the kitchen. He wants to surprise
his mother and this time he is confident that there
is no body odour to warn her.
We cut to the close up of the mother’s face who
senses something even this time. It’s a smell; but
this time it’s pleasant, it’s fragrant. A smile appears
on her face. The doctor’s voice over adds, “…all
day.”
Just as the boy is about to startle the mother, the
mother turns and faces him with a wide smile on
her face. The boy is disappointed. She gives him a
hug and tells him, “Now you are cool.” They both
laugh and hug each other.
We cut to the product shot where we see Dettol
Cool right in the centre of the frame looking tough,
cool and beautiful. The other ‘Healthy Range’
Dettol products stand on either side of Dettol Cool.
The Doctor sums it up, “Dettol. Be 100% Sure.”

9. CAST & CHARACTER
Our film is a fabulous tale about a mother-son
relationship. The mother cares for her son. She is
concerned about his health. But she knows that
she cannot take away her son’s freedom and lock
him up in a house where he would be safe from
the germs lurking outside. She knows that her son
is at a sensitive age where every decision on her
part would have a long lasting impact on his life.
She wants him to enjoy his life to the fullest and
she wants to ensure an all-round development for
him. While she is excited for him, she is also
fearful of what her son might be getting exposed
to outside of her house – a controlled
environment. It is this conflicted existence of our
mother that makes her a complex and compelling
character. The casting for all three actors will
remain neutral.

10. There is also a sense of humour and youthfulness
about their relationship. They are more like friends
having a great time together, pulling each other’s
legs and playing games with each other. The
mother is young enough to teach him the real
meaning of ‘Cool’ and old enough to inculcate good
values in him.

11. Greens and blues accompanied
with whites would be used
keeping in mind the Dettol Cool
zone. Perhaps pinks would
provide a nice contrast and make
the characters stand out.

12. The boy on the other hand is exactly like a 15 year old should be. He is sporty, he is proud and he
loves his mother. He is in his formative years and needs his freedom to develop into a
multifaceted young man. He is growing up at a brisk pace but knows that he is still his mother’s
boy and that his mother knows what’s best for him. It is these qualities that make him an
endearing teenager.

13. The doctor, in our film, is not an uncaring and distant
character but a mother-figure who knows exactly what a
mother feels and wants, but also knows the problems that a
mother faces and the ways in which they can be resolved.
The Doctor would be a perfect combination of motherly love
and confidence a doctor is known to exude. The idea is to
strike the right balance so the doctor becomes a symbol of
authority but remains at the same time gentle and
trustworthy. She is a doctor but also a mother and that is
what makes her a perfect representative for Dettol – a
synonym for health and hygiene with love and care.

14. LOOK & FEEL
It is important that the film looks real and relatable.
The house would have the quality of being real but at
the same time, aspirational. It would be a middle
class home but pretty. The art direction will once
again be neutral. The Dettol colours in the house
would give it a clean and hygienic feel but at the
same time, exemplary aesthetics. The greens, blues
and whites of Dettol Cool would make the frames
look gorgeous.

15. A little bit of
reds, oranges
a n d p i n k s
t h r o u g h
v a s e s ,
p a i n t i n g s ,
b o o k s a n d
cushions in
the backdrop
would break
the pattern
a n d
m o n o t o n y
and lend the
h o u s e a n
extraordinary
visual appeal.

16. A green/blue clean look for the bedroom

17. Kitchen in Dettol Cool colours with a smattering of bright tints to provide a layered feel.

18. There would be an absolute
absence of dark areas within
the house to give it a clean and
bright feel. The audience
should know that there is not a
corner in the house where the
germs could hide. This is to
communicate the idea that a
mother not just takes care of
the kids but the house too in
which her family can be safe
and secure.
The look of the film would be clean and bright. A combination of sunlight streaming in through the
windows and the artificial lights within the house would provide the characters and the setting a good
contrast. A bit of highlight would further beautify the frames.

19. B e a u t i f u l
hanging and
corner lamps
would lend a
nice glow to
the setting
b u t a l s o
m a k e t h e
frames look
layered.

20. The clinic is clean but more in the white zone with a smattering of greens to make it look clean
and a symbol of hygiene but at the same time, aesthetic and modern. The screen on which she
shows us the kid is the representation of the modern, high-tech clinic without overdoing it and
making it alienating. Some familiar objects that one finds in a doctor’s clinic combined with warm
props like books, vases and fruits would once again give the doctor, the heart of a mother.

21. PRODUCT WINDOW
The product window needs to give the audience a
sense of refreshment and breeziness even as they
view the film on TV. Ice and menthol represent
both those feelings. Dettol Cool making a grand
entry by crashing through a wall of ice, makes the
content inside feel like the cool vapour that rises
when you open a freezer. This kind of hero entry
creates a desired impact on the audience watching
TV on a hot, sweltering and sunny afternoon.
1. 2.
3.

22. The existence of the wiggly germs on the boy’s
armpits and the eradication suggested by the iconic
Dettol hand moving like a clock are very effective
symbols. The shots of the boy soaping his body
with Dettol suds and enjoying the resulting
freshness is a perfect way to show the
transformation from the germ infested armpits to
clean ones.

23. Finally the heroism of the visual where
the boy breaks out of the ice & menthol
layer is almost reminiscent of all those
dramatic Hollywood action films where
a hero’s motorbike crashes through the
wall of the villain’s house. It has a
fantastic, dramatic and a humorous
appeal.

24. MUSIC
Music enhances the mood and the playfulness of the film. It starts on a suspenseful note as the
boy tiptoes into the house and proceeds towards an unsuspecting mother. The strings and the
slow beat would keep the mood happy and playful through the film.
The music would gain a more mellow and serious tone during the doctor insert but once again
gain buoyancy as the boy begins to enjoy his shower. The tempo would rise, the youthfulness,
playfulness and humour would return to the film as the boy once again tries to surprise his
mother.
The idea is to keep the music playful to give the film a sense of lightness even though it deals
with a serious issue. The film is about a mother-son relationship and the love they have for each
other. The music, through simple notes, needs to communicate the deep emotions and
complexity of this wonderful relationship.

25. This film is about a mother’s heart that loves and cares but it is also about a mother’s mind that
finds solutions when problems arise. A mother knows that a child needs freedom for an all-round
mental and physical development but is also aware that that freedom may expose the child to germs
and diseases. She must maintain the right balance. Which is exactly why she needs Dettol Cool!
I would relish the opportunity to tell this story about a mother-son relationship that’s beautiful,
sensitive and complex. The key is to ensure that every mother and every son should relate with it
just as I do. What’s even more important is that our film promotes a healthy lifestyle. I would love
to be a part of a film that endeavours to carve a disease-free path and create a healthy future for the
children around the world.
THANK YOU!