November saw Zohran become a brand, women athletes make history, and Gen Z call in sick

You know those moments when the news doesn’t feel random anymore? When you scroll through the internet, and every headline, and suddenly a local political win and massive corporate mergers feel connected by the same underlying currents of influence, digital power, and consumer culture?

That's the essence of November 2025. It was a month that saw the lines between politics and product marketing blur, global entertainment pivot toward Indian lands, and the advertising industry reshape itself into a new global behemoth, all set against a backdrop of complex digital regulation and a long-awaited sports win.

Omnicom–IPG and the math behind the mega-merger

The biggest corporate story to rock the advertising and marketing (A&M) industry this month was the acquisition of Interpublic Group (IPG) by Omnicom Group. This realignment was officially completed on November 26, 2025, following the receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals.

The new entity, still trading under the OMC ticker on the New York Stock Exchange, creates a $25 billion+ revenue-generating powerhouse, instantly becoming the world’s leading marketing and sales company.

This is not merely a defensive consolidation but a strategic acceleration designed for the next era of marketing. The rationale is to fuse Omnicom's creative brands and media muscle with IPG’s data, healthcare, and Customer Experience (CX) networks.

The merger has profound effects on the industry, as it accelerates the consolidation cycle, creating a landscape likely dominated by two players, Omnicom-IPG and Publicis, and then WPP, Dentsu, and Havas, with these five controlling the major global market.

India’s winning streak, written by women

The month started with a moment of pure national euphoria for India as the Indian Women’s Cricket Team secured a historic T20 World Cup win. This victory was incredibly significant, not just for the trophy but as a massive boost to women’s sport in the country, breaking barriers and creating new idols for a generation.

It was a win that showcased the immense talent and grit of the women in blue, drawing massive viewership and national attention.

This was swiftly followed by the Women's T20 Cricket World Cup for the Blind 2025, claiming the inaugural T20 World Cup title.

They didn't stop here and went to lift the Women’s Kabaddi World Cup for the second time.

These victories are more than medals; they are a resounding declaration of skill, resilience, and inspiration for millions. The nation was not only proud but saw a shift in women’s sports.

The win triggered a massive wave of celebratory content across social media. Brands across sectors, from automobiles and food delivery to financial services, quickly adopted moment marketing, posting congratulatory messages that leveraged the team’s success to amplify their own messaging.

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However, amidst the celebration, there was a deep, unifying wave of public empathy for former Men's T20 captain Rohit Sharma, who had missed the home World Cup win in 2024.

When Zohran turned himself into a brand—and won

The discussion on influence and branding leads directly to Zohran Mamdani’s recent win, which is on everyone’s radar. Beyond the political headlines, it represents a change in the way that trust, power, and influence are established in the digital age. From a communications perspective, more than a political campaign, it was a lesson in community development, narrative design, and digital-first brand strategy.

According to Pew Research, more than 70% of first-time U.S. voters stated that their political opinions were influenced by social media, and over 4.8 billion people were active on social media globally in 2024. This indicates how digital platforms are now the main infrastructure of influence and discussion rather than merely an entertainment source in public discourse.

The storytelling felt authentic, the tone was human, and the design was relatable. He released campaigning videos in languages like Urdu, Hindi, Spanish, and Arabic, making his retail economic message, rent freezes, and universal childcare personalised. Another surprise was at Mamdani's victory event. As he concluded his victory speech, the Bollywood song 'Dhoom Machale' played in the background while he was joined on stage by his wife, Rama Duwaji.

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Looking back at his campaigns, what emerged was not a politician speaking to people, but a brand in active conversation with its community, proving that political campaigning is functionally little different from successful product marketing and promotion.

Mamdani’s win highlights that the lines between politics, branding, and digital marketing are blurring. Influence today is built not through authority, but through authenticity.

A concert economy so big Gen Z needed sick leaves

November 2025 saw multiple international music events, cementing the country’s emergence as a major hub on the global concert circuit.

This included the highly anticipated Travis Scott Circus Maximus World Tour stop in Mumbai, a multi-city return tour by Akon, and the debut of the mammoth hip-hop festival Rolling Loud India in Navi Mumbai, featuring international headliners alongside Indian artists like Karan Aujla. These were supported by other events like the K-Town 3.0 festival.

The marketing around these events was driven by platforms like BookMyShow and District by Zomato as ticketing partners.

Despite being scheduled mid-week, the concert drew significant fan turnout, with many attendees taking time off work to be there. One example gained attention online after consultant Gaurav Sharma shared an unusual leave request from an employee who wanted to attend the show.

The email, titled ‘Application for Sicko Leave,’ played on Travis Scott’s 2018 track Sicko Mode. BookMyShow later introduced a ‘Sicko Leave Generator,’ allowing fans to create similar themed leave letters. The platform encouraged users to post their generated notes on social media, tag the platform with the Sicko Mode audio, and use a designated hashtag for a chance to win tour merchandise.

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The sheer scale of these events significantly affects the economy, creating a powerful Concert Economy. According to PwC’s Global Entertainment & Media Outlook 2023-2027, live music alone is projected to generate US$33.8 billion by 2027, driven by a post-pandemic surge in consumer spending on in-person experiences.

This boom directly impacts allied industries, most notably hospitality and tourism in host cities like Mumbai and Delhi. These events often create a clear ripple effect, with hotel occupancy surging 60-80%, IRCTC and airline bookings rising 15-20%, and local food and beverage outlets near venues seeing a 25-40% jump in footfall.

The growing concert economy generated 2,000-5,000 temp jobs per large event as of 2024, demonstrating that the spectacle is translating into tangible economic growth and new employment opportunities across metropolitan and Tier II cities.

Stranger Things' strange segmented release

The conversation on audience engagement takes a sharp turn with streaming giant Netflix’s increasing adoption of the segmented release strategy for its most-loved properties, moving away from the full-season 'binge' model. This approach, previously used for Bridgerton and The Summer I Turned Pretty, has been adopted for the final season of Stranger Things.

The show's final season was explicitly designed for a multi-part release, turning the show’s conclusion into a months-long cultural event rather than a weekend. This strategy serves two critical purposes for Netflix: sustaining audience and cultivating cultural conversation.

By creating a deliberate gap, the platform aims to sustain subscription retention over a longer period and maximise the 'cultural chatter' or FOMO marketing that drives social media engagement. This slow-burn approach allows the audience to become deeply immersed, giving time for theories and reactions to build a genuine cult following, mirroring the traditional anticipation cycles of network television but with the high production value of streaming.

To reignite the conversation and create anticipation around the series after a break between seasons, Netflix, along with brand collaborations and activations, hosted a bike ride in Los Angeles titled 'One Last Ride', a few days before the release.

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When governments hit pause on teen social media

The debate over digital safety and regulatory oversight intensified globally in November 2025 with developments regarding social media access for minors in Southeast Asia and Australia.

Australia’s ban on social media for users under the age of 16 is set to come into effect on December 10, imposing hefty fines of up to 50 million AUD for platforms that fail to comply. This move sparked a public discourse, including a petition by Digital Freedom Project to block the ban, highlighting the tension between child safety and digital freedom.

Following this development, Malaysia also announced plans to implement a similar policy, aiming to prohibit social media use for anyone under the age of 16 starting in 2026.

These actions signal a growing global trend among governments to tighten state oversight on digital platforms, forcing tech companies to implement stricter age verification and content-safety measures, which will fundamentally change how these platforms operate in these key markets.

But will these bans hurt or help teens who were chronically online yesterday and today are confined to a digital world that’s basically just Google and YouTube? With AI accessibility, the teens might have no option but to turn to AI assistants for their answers, which are already speculated to be factually incorrect at times. Amidst all this, questions arise about the accessibility of content that might shape your views about the world in your own language, because we all should agree by now, this generation might not read a newspaper but listen to their social media professors who inform them in their own vocabulary.

From politics to sports, concerts to streaming, and the digital battlegrounds of regulation, the month highlighted how attention, trust, and engagement are being rewritten for a new era. The patterns emerging now will define not only how we consume and celebrate, but how we participate in the world around us.