Now that the FTC has cleared Google's acquisition of Doubleclick, we have only to wait for Europe and it will be a done deal. That makes it sound easy. In reality, Europe will probably be the toughest fight, particularly because much of the concern surrounding the deal is around privacy. For those who read John Lovett's blog this week, note that Google already has plenty of places to track behavior, albeit all on Google properties. Doubleclick has the potential to expand that far beyond such boundaries. But I have to admit that I do see the FTC's point that many other large properties have recently been allowed to acquire far reaching ad networks that provide similar opportunities. This week Microsoft announced its new partnership with Viacom, which will include replacing Viacom's Doubleclick software with Atlas as well as an ad revenue deal. There is no reason why Microsoft can't benefit from relationship the same way Googleclick would have if Viacom hadn't made the switch.

CMOs feel pressure. They want their roles to be more strategic and at the same time, they are faced with an increasing number of changes in the marketplace from the expectations of customers to the impact of technology. So, how can CMOs evolve and help themselves to meet these demands and advance their own careers?

As an analyst for Forrester's CMO Group, I was curious about the answer. Turns out, so were many CMOs! So, my colleague, Meagan Wilson, and I partnered with Heidrick & Struggles to conduct research and survey over 130 chief marketers to understand what it takes to become the evolved CMO.

A few highlights from the research:

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Thinking of deploying a widget in Facebook or other online community? First, you'll need to know the three different types that can be deployed. Rodney Rumford shares with us the difference between widgets, applications, and canvas pages. 

What should Interactive Marketers do before deploying widgets? He shares his strategic viewpoint that aligns very well with the Forrester POST methodology.  Find out how widgets can be used for interactive social games resulting in an engaging communities around a brand.

I was speaking at a conference regarding web communities, and while in the audience, I listened very carefully to the speakers, some of which I follow up with for research interviews.  These videos are turning into a supplement that glean the highlights I learn from the research interviews. I'd love your feedback on these mini-interviews, are they helpful? 

[Posted by Jeremiah Owyang]