Yahoo Video Targets the Celebrity Mom-dom

Somewhere in a checkout line somewhere, Yahoo’s new video strategy was born. Short segments focusing on celebrity mothers, called “Spotlight to Nightlight,” hosted by a former Miss USA, Ali Landry, and sponsored by State Farm, went live today.

There, I learned that some celebrities have as many as (six) nannies caring for their (three) kids 24-7, and that these nannies make a lot more money than, say, your average journalist.

But this kind of niche webcast, targeting a desirable demographic (younger Moms) is a new direction for Yahoo, one much more likely to succeed than the kind of TV-to-web, shovel-ware approach the search portal has employed in the past.

The new celebrity mom series is the latest feature of omg, Yahoo’s entertainment gossip site.

So, here’s the thing about this launch that caught my attention: “Spotlight to Nightlight” is produced in both English and Spanish. As I’ve been arguing for a while now, the automated language tools are available for any wedsite to publish in multiple languages, and I have not been able to figure out why so few U.S.-based media companies seem interested in pursuing what, to me, seems like an obvious new business strategy.

After all, you can attract an entirely new audience, not to mention a whole new set of advertisers. What’s holding them back?

Yahoo’s new dual-language project is not based in automation, BTW, as it appears to be a fluke. The host, Ali Landry, simply happens to be fluent in both Spanish and English. But my hunch is that once Yahoo execs spot the increased revenue from sponsorships in languages other than English, this will simply be the first of many such video productions that finally just may help turn Yahoo around…