Piyush Pandey Honored Posthumously with Padma Bhushan for Reshaping Indian Advertising

• Piyush Pandey, who passed away in 2025, received a posthumous Padma Bhushan, acknowledging his profound impact on Indian advertising and public language.
• Over four decades at Ogilvy India, Pandey transformed advertising by using local idioms, humor, and emotion, making campaigns like Cadbury's "Kuch Khaas Hai" and Fevicol iconic.
• He joined Ogilvy in 1982, having previously been a cricketer, tea taster, and construction worker, and shifted the industry's tone from aspirational English to relatable Indian vernacular.
• Pandey's influence extended to political communication, notably with "Ab ki baar, Modi sarkar," and he emphasized empathy and teamwork over individual genius.
• He and his brother Prasoon Pandey were the first Asians to receive the Lion of St. Mark in 2018, and he consistently advocated for emotional connection over technological trends in advertising.

Why It Matters: Piyush Pandey's posthumous Padma Bhushan recognizes his unparalleled legacy in giving Indian advertising an authentic voice.