When the cooler head doesn’t prevail, the situation can get ugly. In this case of anthropomorphism, it’s the office water cooler that loses his—its—cool. Standing alone in a remote storage area, it bubbles in furious masculine protest over its diminished status in the workplace.
We literally see the cooler voicing its displeasure. Bubbles form with each affronted utterance: "I used to be the center of communications around here," it protests. "Then they got wired to Cox Business Services—high-speed Internet, local and long-distance telephone, data transport … I can’t compete!"
An office worker briskly passes by. The cooler chummily acknowledges her, toning down its voice from angrily embittered to casually sociable: "Hey, how ya doin’?"
But with the oblivious worker’s exit, the cooler is back to a higher decibel level, lamenting its plight. "Now the place is buzzing with productivity! Everyone’s drinking lattes! Technology stinks!"
The spot cuts to the Cox logo, then returns to the cooler for a final outburst. A man approaches carrying a watering can for flowers. Infuriated, the cooler snaps, "Don’t even think about it!"
"Water Cooler" was directed by Jim Zoolalian of Boxer Films, Los Angeles. Boxer’s support team included executive producer John Clark and producer Marc Lasko. Kevin Ward was the DP.
The :30 was conceived by an ensemble from Costa Mesa, Calif.-based agency neoBrands: creative director Scott Woolsey, art director Roger Calvillo and copywriter Bob Satmary. Freelancer Cat Sautter of The Production Asylum, Carlsbad, Calif., served as agency producer.
Jason Painter of Swietlik, Santa Monica, edited the spot. Henry artist was Pete Mayor of The Finish Line, Santa Monica. Colorist was Jais Lamaire of 525 Studios, Santa Monica. Audio mixer was Chris Winston of AudioBanks, Santa Monica.
Scott Rea of Scott Rea Music, Los Angeles, was the sound designer.
"Water Cooler" is running in 10 markets, including San Diego and Orange County, Calif.; Phoenix; Macon, Ga.; Hampton Roads, Va.; Omaha, Neb; Oklahoma City; Pensacola, Fla; New Orleans; and the New England region.
