Motherhood and ad networks aren't two topics that are likely to intersect. But Gannett, which has built 60 local websites aimed at moms, plans to embrace the maternal instinct to build a new opportunity for national advertisers.

Gannett began building the sites 18 months ago, and it has had some success attracting local advertisers in different regional markets. But according to The Wall Street Journal, the newspaper company is hoping to take that success to a national stage. Doing so, however, could be a challenge given the difficulty 19607 newspapers have faced in trying to bring their local coverage into the digital age.

To date, most attempts by newspapers to find their local groove have been stymied by an inability to attract or retain an audience. But that's part of the reason why Gannet is focusing on moms rather than the broader category of women. According to eMarketer, 86 percent of moms go online at least once a month, compared to just 68 percent of women overall.