Piyush Pandey receives posthumous Padma Bhushan for shaping Indian advertising

Piyush Pandey, the advertising veteran who spent four decades at Ogilvy India, has been awarded a posthumous Padma Bhushan by the Indian government. Pandey passed away in 2025.

The recognition places advertising alongside fields like industry, arts and public service in the national honours framework.

The work that defined him

Pandey's name became synonymous with campaigns that moved beyond selling products. Cadbury's 'Kuch Khaas Hai,' the Fevicol series, and Asian Paints' 'Har khushi mein rang laaye' remain reference points for how advertising can enter popular culture.
His political work included the slogan 'Ab ki baar, Modi sarkar,' which became part of electoral vocabulary.

A different approach

Before Pandey, much of Indian advertising spoke in English to an aspirational urban audience. He brought Hindi and regional idiom into mainstream brand communication.
A colleague once noted: 'He changed not just the language of Indian advertising. He changed its grammar.'

Pandey joined Ogilvy in 1982. His path to advertising was unusual. He had worked as a cricketer, tea taster and construction worker before entering the industry.

Recognition at home and abroad

In 2018, Pandey and his younger brother, filmmaker Prasoon Pandey, received the Lion of St. Mark at Cannes Lions. They were the first from Asia to receive the lifetime achievement honour.

Despite the awards, Pandey often downplayed individual credit. "A Brian Lara can't win for the West Indies alone," he once said, describing advertising as a collective effort.

On what makes advertising work

Pandey was direct about what he believed mattered. "Somewhere, you need to touch the hearts," he said. "No audience is going to see your work and say, 'How did they do it?' They will say, 'I love it.'"

He stepped down as executive chairman of Ogilvy India in 2023, moving to an advisory role. On where ideas come from, he had a simple answer: "from the street, from life, from listening."