Social media is a primary force that is redefining the role of the men and women who oversee the world’s largest companies. Brands no longer ignore social media. The importance of social media on business has dramatically escalated. We have moved through the “hype phase" of social media when businesses felt compelled to participate because it was such a fad. We have entered a productive phase where companies are starting to crack social’s code to turn it into a genuine marketing advantage. A new IBM study of more than 1,700 Chief Executive Officers from 64 countries and 18 industries worldwide reveals that 70% of the responding CEOs will shift their focus from using e-mail and the phone as primary communication vehicles to using social networks as a new path for direct engagement.