CBS Has New Match for Taylor Tomlinson: A Pack of B-to-B Advertisers (EXCLUSIVE)

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Taylor Tomlinson has proven herself to be a big draw among younger crowds and those savvy with social media. Now CBS hopes the new “After Midnight” host will have similar appeal with a decidedly niche sector: B-to-B advertisers. The network is trying to develop partnerships with a cluster of marketers that typically find their customers among decision-making executives at corporations.

One such advertiser is Codingscape, a technology consultant that sees an alliance with Tomlinson as something that will help get potential clients to view the company as innovative. Instead of putting traditional TV ads on Tomlinson’s late-night show, however, Codingscape wants to run digital ads with its message posted alongside clips of her in action. “This is a B-to-B that people haven’t heard of,” says Alan Gould, co-CEO of MutualMarkets, a tech upstart that has developed a system for pairing advertisers with TV programs that suit their products, services or image.

Even so, he adds, Codingscape “has money to spend on marketing.” TV has largely been the province of giant advertisers like McDonald’s or Procter & Gamble, who spend millions each year on traditional TV commercials that cajole viewers to eat a Big Mac or buy a Swiffer. But there are thousands of smaller companies that would only be too happy to sponsor popular series such as “Young Sheldon” or “Law & Order: SVU” if they could only gain similar access. Super Bowl viewers saw such dynamics in play this year when CoStar Group, the owner of real-estate sites like Homes.com and Apartments.com turned out to be one of the biggest spenders in the Big Game.