The Brands That Will Win From Colbert’s Russia Week

It looks like the Kremlin is creating some cash money for American businesses. In search of truthiness (cough, an Emmy), Colbert headed to the big R a couple of weeks ago. And tonight, Mr. Colbert kicks off Russia Week, featuring segments he shot while “on vacay” in Russia-- including an appearance on Russian talk show Evening Urgant where Colbert announces he’s running for President in 2020. While Trump and Putin buddy up to each other, advertisers can’t get enough of Stephen.During the good ‘ol Obama days, the Late Show was responsible for 5.5% of CBS’s advertising revenue. But with Trump in the Oval Office, The Late Show accounts for 10.2% of CBS’s advertising revenue-- that’s a 85% increase, making it a favorite show in terms of ad dollars and attention.There’s been no better time to purchase ads on the Late Show. The reality TV show that is Washington D.C. means viewers aren’t waiting a few days to leisurely tune-in -- they want the most up-to-date jokes, and viewers stay glued to the screen even during commercial breaks. Colbert’s eagerness to dive into political waters is even credited for his ratings gain over Jimmy Fallon. Now, compare these graphs from the Obama Administration and Trump Administration to see the urgency Colbert’s programming instills in viewers today. So which brands are winning with Colbert? We look at the ad completion rates, which iSpot.tv measures from the time an ad spent on the glass. CBS advertisers should be seriously stoked about post-Election Colbert, since 114 out of 191 brands posted completion rates over 90%, with Colbert boasting an average view rate of 91.4%. That’s a BFD, and some of these brands even ranked into the creme-de-la-Colbert, all earning completion rates above 97%: PETCO, Stella Artois, Heineken, Volkswagen, Netflix, Cheetos and 5 Gum. Bravo, people can’t get enough of your beer, Stranger Things, and orange fingers. And for the record, none of these brands made it into The Late Show’s top five spenders over the past two and a half months-- money can’t buy a good creative.For any hopes of mass-market appeal and reach, a Colbert ad buy is easily defensible. It skews slightly female, but you’re still reaching plenty of men. And it’s equally loved by Millennials, Boomers, Gen X and Gen Y -- not an easy feat.The audience’s unwavering attention boils down to their loyal affection for host Stephen Colbert. We used Canvs, the emotional analytics company, to analyze nearly 40,000 tweets about the show. The results? Viewers are hot and heavy in their honeymoon period with Mr. Colbert -- 10% of reactions are specifically about the handsome host.A note about the “idiot” reaction -- that’s referring to Eric Trump and Donald Trump, while the “love” emotions pertain to Colbert’s show. And the truest sign of Colbert’s success may be that small group of passionate haters.So let’s get it straight, Colbert is killing it from NYC, from St. Petersburg, and even when he’s @StephenAtHome. He’s paving a golden path to the Emmys, which he’s coincidentally hosting, while also becoming America’s golden boy. He’s captured the attention and respect of all demographics, diplomats, and definitely the ad sales dudes and gals.