Brandish Creative

by Rob Schnapp

The final episode of Seinfeld had a great exchange about Water Cooler Shows. Jerry and George were called in by the new president of NBC to discuss their pilot.

KIMBROUGH: I was looking for something different. Something that would have people talking at the water coolers.

CRESPI: We call it a water cooler show.

JERRY: Because the next day in the offices, people gather around the water coolers to talk about it, right?

GEORGE: See, I think people would talk about it at the coffee machines.

JERRY: Well it’s probably just easier to say “water cooler show” than “coffee machine show.”

GEORGE: It’s not really accurate. Nobody drinks from a water cooler anymore. They use bottles.

Well, regardless of George’s focus on the minutiae, the water cooler concept is still alive and well. And thanks to technology, it’s grown into something new. Certainly folks still talk about shows at the water cooler or coffee machine but they also talk about them in real time through social media.

One of the first things Howard Stern did after joining Twitter was to watch his movie “Private Parts” on cable with his fans. He gave real time commentary and answered questions. The King of all Media indeed.

The Super Bowl, The Grammys, The Oscars, American Idol, Glee, Modern Family… they’re all being discussed on Facebook and Twitter while the show is on. But this is just the beginning. I’m excited to see how TV networks will engage with viewers moving forward. Right now a few of them will super a hashtag on the screen to help get the conversation started.

Many said the internet would hurt TV viewership. But it’s actually helping. For example, I don’t always watch the Grammys. But this year I couldn’t wait to tune in because of social media. It made me a participant.

Perhaps new remotes will link us right to our social networks. Or will our smartphones become our remotes? Who knows? But I do know that I want to be a part of it.

Looking back a few years, I recall times when I’d be channel surfing and stop on a movie when my wife would say “Why are you watching that? We have it on DVD.” And I’d reply “Because other people are watching it now.” Was I joking? Or was I years ahead of my time?