His team, specifically, works on the service provider marketing side of the company, which includes a very niche audience of service providers. Their goal is to keep this audience engaged in the community. Although this audience is used to very technical items such as white papers and mega test results, Washer and his team have brought an entertainment aspect to the table as well.

The team recently produced a commercial suggesting an $80,000 router as Valentine’s Day gift. They pushed the router over the typical gift of a Whitman’s box of chocolates saying it would be a great improvement. Incidentally, their plan proved to be a success.

Another unique concept Cisco did recently involved a company manager logging a trip to Asia on a flip camera. This was not a humorous approach, but it brought a human connection to the brand.

Although adding humor and creativity to social efforts can be very effective, there is a risk involved. Washer suggests that other companies look at their full marketing plan and ask how they can use social media to help create awareness, amplify their message, and create engagement with the audience. If humor does not add value to these areas, then it should not be used.

“You have to have a portfolio strategy, I think, with social media; in particular, if you’re doing videos and humor,” says Washer.

He went on to say that some experiments would go viral and be successful, but he said that it is critical that companies understand that not every one will be a hit.

For Cisco, The New York Times, Network World, and CNET wrote about their commercial, which not only further promoted it, but also provided influence.

Have you considered adding humor to your social media campaign?

For example, Boeing and Airbus are now employing more Indians to write software for future cockpits and create systems to foil air collisions. In fact, Boeing has handed over much of the responsibility for creation of two key systems in the upcoming Boeing787 model to HCL technologies based outside New Dehli.

Even investment tycoon, Morgan Stanley has hired Indians to perform analyses of American stocks. Jobs like this typically pay in the 6 figure range on Wall street.

After citigroup chairman Charles O. Prince the third made a trip to New Dehli, reports emerged stating that the company had plans to eliminate or reassign some 26,000 jobs to India as well as less costly American cities. We contacted Citibank, and they refused to comment on the speculation.

It seems like India is becoming a second headquarters for many companies once primarily based out of the U.S. Within the next five years, Cisco, the world leader in communications equipment, concluded that 20 percent of their most valuable employees will be located in India.

The job shifts to India do not come without cutbacks elsewhere. Every time a job moves to India, it comes as a loss to an American or European.

India has become so appealing to major corporations because of its lucrative market and potential for growth.

Ravi Venkatesan, chairman of Microsoft India has his a theory as to why India has become such a booming market for global corporations.

“Having actual customers at the doorstep makes employees think more creatively about the problems of their own society. Now that the Indian workers have more autonomy they are focusing on problems, like building software for the illiterate, that might not have occurred to American researchers.”

The world can expect India’s new business edge to bring about new changes in job markets elsewhere, like Europe and the U.S.