“Word of mouth” may be considered the most powerful way to sell your product. But according to Toronto digital marketing consultant Sean Moffit, “word of mom” is even more potent, the Toronto Star reports. A 2010 survey by BlogHer and iVillage found that mom bloggers “are most likely to write about brands and … three-quarters of active online women rely on blogs for product information.”

Many moms started blogs in the weeks and months after their child is born in order to reach out during a time of life that can be difficult and lonely. Some, the Star reports, are finding it to have been an excellent business decision.Continue reading...

Earlier we noted how P&G tapped the BlogHer network to help create viral buzz for its corporate citizenship push around clean water.

The power of BlogHer's audience can't be denied; in fact, BlogHer's own research shows that women control over 80% of the household spending — not exactly chump change, especially when you consider that we're talking about a $7 trillion U.S. market.

In addition to helping brands such as P&G, BlogHer is trying to establish its own brand by positioning its network as the leading participatory news, entertainment and information network for women online.Continue reading...

ABC unveils iPad app for My Generation that represents a leap forward by syncing to TV for interactive viewing experience.

American Express partners with iVillage to launch financial-literacy platform.

Apple prepares a newspaper-subscription plan for iPad, which went on sale today in China.

Bloomberg’s “other” magazine, Bloomberg Markets, gets a makeover.

Detroit emerges as a star at the Toronto Film Festival through a handful of newly made-in-Michigan movies.

GM now sees the US government retaining some stake in the automaker in the wake of its upcoming IPO.Continue reading...

While BlogHer attracts more than so-called "mommy bloggers" (a term uniformly disliked by moms who blog, by the way), its sixth annual conference, taking place next week in New York, has attracted a slew of high-profile brand sponsors.

P&G, PepsiCo, Hillshire Farm/Jimmy Dean, and Walmart are among the brand marketers paying for exposure as BlogHer 2010 Diamond Sponsors.

BlogHer reaches more than 20 million women each month. Its goal is simple.Continue reading...

Teri Hatcher's relationship with Disney is set to continue beyond Desperate Housewives thanks to a new digital partnership.

The actress and former Radio Shack spokeswoman is teaming with ABC's corporate parent to launch GetHatched.com, a portal for women that's being produced by the Disney Family group.

The tagline, "A chick’s guide to life," communicates the project's goal: to become the go-to Web destination for her "peeps" (moms, working women), as Hatcher writes in her debut blog post.

It's aimed, she writes, at "women in all of our multi-tasking, chore-juggling, diverse-life role-playing glory. We ARE the force behind everything. We are the caregivers, the nurturers, the lovers, and teachers. We do the laundry, clean the house, feed the pets, drive the carpool, and as if that wasn't enough of a job, we often bring home the bacon. (And then cook it, too!)"

Of course, Hatcher herself is the draw here, not the content.Continue reading...

Fox Mobile Group is selling television-for-phones subscriptions. [LA Times]

Avoiding bankruptcy, Blockbuster will attempt to do the same. [NY Times]

Tanning bed companies may be negatively impacted by a new tax. [CNN Money]

Go Daddy will no longer supply certain domains to Chinese consumers. [WSJ]

Subway sandwich chains are set to launch a new menu of breakfast items. [Wallet Pop]

Starbucks investors are excited about their additional 10 cents. [NY Times]Continue reading...

Hoping to connect with young, female Today Show viewers, NBCU launched TodayMoms, a stand-alone site featuring parenting videos and photos, and incorporating the Today Show's allDAY blog (under the MSNBC logo; its archives go back to 2007) as well as its own branded mom-blog. Today Show anchors Meredith Viera, Ann Curry, Natalie Morales and Amy Robach write for the site. It will also be available as an iPhone app.  

NBC Universal, which own the Today Show, also owns the recently relaunched iVillage. Yet, TodayMoms features no tie-in or cross-promotion with iVillage. As of now, visitors to TodayMoms are not directed to iVillage, nor vice-versa.Continue reading...