• by Aaron Baar , May 18, 2009

Realizing that mothers are an important part of every family decision, State Farm is looking to deepen its connection to moms -- particularly new ones -- by sponsoring a series of videos by the duo behind the popular podcast MommyCast.

"Our consumer packaged goods counterparts have long considered moms the gatekeepers to the family," Ed Gold, State Farm's director of advertising, tells Marketing Daily. "And in the insurance world, we have seen an increase in [the presence of] women in the insurance purchase decision in the household."

The videos, which will available on a State Farm and MommyCast co-branded channel on YouTube (www.youtube.com/beingthere4family) will focus on topics such as college planning, home buying, insurance and home safety. In the first video, the two moms speak with former Washington Redskin (and current real estate expert) David Harbour about investigating a neighborhood, schools and crime when researching a prospective new home.

"We have them come at it from a non-biased standpoint," Gold says. "We don't want them going in and shilling for State Farm. We want them to talk about the need for child passenger safety seats so that people are safe on the roads. Or about baby-proofing your home. We want them to talk about the bigger issues."

State Farm's presence, however, will be felt through advertising and messaging in the dedicated channel, Gold says. The hosts also mention the company in their introduction: "We're pleased to be teaming up with State Farm, because the earlier you're prepared in the beginning, the easier it will be to start your new lives together," they say in an introduction to the first video.

MommyCast hosts Gretchen Vogelzang and Paige Heninger started as a podcast four years ago, when -- as moms with seven children between them -- they had trouble finding content to address several frequently asked questions. Their podcast attracts more than 1.5 million listeners as they have started to branch out into Web-based video.

"They are very real," Gold says. "In this world of Web 2.0, Gretchen and Paige have a really good following."

Promotion of the Webcasts will be limited to online venues. In addition to attracting MommyCast's subscriber base, State Farm is enlisting Google's branded entertainment platform to syndicate the content to YouTube audiences and various Web sites across the company's content network.