The traditional roles of connecting to consumers by means of advertising and marketing has drastically shifted throughout the years. Consumers are younger, busier and more tech and digitally savvy than ever before, so there is no surprise that the likes of Facebook (pun intended), YouTube, Google and content marketing are becoming the forerunners in the way brands and services connect to consumers, and how consumers "consume" a product.

The constant retraining of staff, and the rise of digitally focused agencies and strategies are a direct result of this paradigm shift. In my opinion, the focus must now be: brands and services have to be able to engage the consumer as opposed to just compete for their attention. A great strategy and concept that lives within the social, digital and mobile space that utilizes the dynamics of  a 360° campaign and synergy to facilitate consumer engagement is a great start. With strong emphasis on a great concept, of course. After all concept is the new copy.

Omnicom's CEO, John Wren, sums it up when he says in an interview conducted by CNBC, "the marketplace has moved, and it changes everyday now. Up until 10 years ago it didn't change very rapidly. You had time to absorb the changes; re-educate your people. Now changes are instantaneous." -pep boy

The $35 billion merger, announced in July 2013, between communications giants Omnicom and Publicis Groupe, which would have generated over $500 million in savings, has been called off. Omnicom and Publicis released a joint statement citing that the slow pace of progress in finalizing the merger was the reason behind the unilateral agreement to discontinue the deal. Chairman and CEO of Publicis Groupe, Maurice Levy, also stated that Omnicom's proposal lacked the equality of the management teams, contrary to the specified terms of the initial agreement.

In a CNBC interview conducted in 2013, John Wren, CEO of Omnicom group expressed that the merger would create the resources and assets needed to compete in a rapidly changing market. Levy also commented that the merger would be an excellent combination for clients and a major means of competing against the internet giants. Internet companies, such as Google and YouTube, are now setting the pace for the communications industry.

The merger between Omincom and Publicis would have replaced their competitive rival, WPP, as the industry leader. It's estimated that Omnicom's and Publicis' combined annual revenues in 2013 equate to $24.1 billion which would have surpassed WPP's $17.2 billion. In response to news of the severed deal, Martin Sorrel, CEO of WPP, says, "John and Maurice wanted it as an opportunity to knock WPP off its perch." -pep boy.

Ogilvy & Mather India apologizes for depicting Malala Yousafzai in its Bounce back ad for Kurl-On mattresses. Malala, a young Pakistani pupil who was brutally shot by the Taliban in 2012, is portrayed in the ad being shot in her face, falling backwards onto a mattress then bouncing back to accept the Nobel Peace Prize.

The concept also features Steve Jobs and Ghandi who both bounce back on Kurl-On mattresses after disappointing circumstances. Ogilvy states that the ad is contrary to the beliefs and standards of the agency and their clients. -pep boy

Beloved Hindi Cinema actress -turned-politician, Kirron Kher, has defeated rival candidate Pawan Kumar Bansal to win the Chandigarh Lok Sabha (lower house of the Parliament of India) seat in the general elections on Friday.  Kher, a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), defeated Pawan by 69,642 votes.  

Kirron, 61, who joined the BJP in 2009, decided to contest the elections for the first time in March, after previous reluctance to do so. She follows a notable list of actresses in India who have ventured into politics, such as current Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Jayalalithaa Jayaram and parallel (independent) cinema icon, Shabana Azmi.

Kher has starred and appeared in over 30 films ranging from Hindi, Punjabi, Bengali and Malayalam cinema, and has worked with legendary director Shyam Benegal. Kirron can be seen in the film Punjab 1984, directed by Anurag Singh, to be released this summer, but if you can’t wait, just grab a copy of Dostana or the 2002 remake of Devdas which she is absolutely fantastic in. -pep boy

The ballots are still being counted, but there is no doubt as to who will be moving the world's largest Democracy and Asia's third-biggest economy forward. Narendra Modi has effectively used his successful track record as Chief Minister of the Indian state of Gujarat, alongside a well orchestrated marketing and communications campaign to secure a victory to carry out, as Prime Minister, the largest political mandate India has seen in over thirty years.

Prashant Kishor's, Citizens for Accountable Governance (CAG), has been key to Modi's marketing and communication strategy. Kishor is noted as being Modi's most trusted strategist. The campaign's digital and social media strategy is managed by Hiren Joshi, who answers questions on Modi's behalf on social media.  Television, print and radio ads are managed by London-based Lawyer, Manoj Ladwa, while communications agency Madison takes care of media planning. 

Executive Chairman and Creative Director at Ogilvy & Mather-South Asia, Piyush Pandey, is credited with producing the creative advertising campaign centered around the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its victorious candidate Narendra Modi. -pep boy

Marketers and companies within the travel industry are rapidly implementing strategies to gain the loyalty of the Millennial Traveler: 18 to 30 year old business travelers who are expected to be the largest segment of the travel market by the end of the decade.

Lee McCabe, global head of travel at Facebook, states that, "Millennial Travelers want spontaneity and they want to be connected, and with Facebook, they can see which hotels their friends have stayed and liked. The face of travel has moved from having one person as an expert to having your friends as the experts. Airlines and hotels have to understand and move with the Millennial generation and technology."

McCabe emphasizes that the travel industry is targeting young travelers at the places they are going, the websites they are visiting and the devices they are using on a daily basis. "Companies now have smartphone only rates to target Millennial Travelers on their smartphones," McCabe commented. Founder of cool hunting, Josh Rubin, says that, "The Millennial Traveler travels differently, they have a sense of entitlement, they are ready for something new and they are very open to a company that can mirror that."

The Marriot International hotel has already implemented plans for the AC Hotels by Marriot to target the younger and technologically aware Millennial Traveler and their growing purchasing power. By 2020, the younger, more racially and gender diverse Millennial Traveler will account for over 20 percent of business flights, a segment usually dominated by  middle-aged men.

Personally, I think the companies that are able to integrate and create a synergy between technology, social utilities and concepts to offer an efficient and memorable user experience from booking to checking in and checking out will be the ones that will stand out and appeal to Millennials. They will be the more likeable, shareable and talked-about companies on social media, which will have an influence on their bottom line-pep boy

Companies have invested an estimated $400 million in advertising during the current general elections in India, compared to $80 million spent during the previous elections held in 2009- pep boy