Brand Makers
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Devika Bulchandani & R. Balki pay tribute to Piyush Pandey | Google Play elevates Aditya Swamy | Omnicom & IPG move closer to merger
Storyboard18 brings you top five news updates from the world of advertising, marketing, and business of brands.
At an event celebrating the late adman Piyush Pandey, Devika Bulchandani, COO, WPP (former global CEO, Ogilvy) delivered one of the most personal tributes yet.
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We bring you top five news updates from the world of advertising, marketing, and business of brands.
“He was Ogilvy”: Devika Bulchandani’s heartfelt tribute to Piyush Pandey, the man who made people before ads
At an event celebrating the late adman Piyush Pandey, Devika Bulchandani, COO, WPP (former global CEO, Ogilvy) delivered one of the most personal tributes yet.
“The world of advertising lost a giant. India lost one of its greatest storytellers. But at Ogilvy, we lost our heart,” she said.
Bulchandani said Pandey didn’t just build advertising, he built the people who make advertising.
“Piyush didn’t just work at Ogilvy. He was Ogilvy,” she said. “For decades, he poured his heart and soul into Ogilvy India and Ogilvy globally. Shaping the spirit, raising the creative bar and inspiring generations of talent.”
Aditya Swamy elevated to Managing Director of Google Play
Aditya Swamy, a veteran media and marketing executive with more than two decades of experience across consumer brands and digital platforms, has been elevated to Managing Director of Google Play.
Swamy is overseeing Google Play’s business across 14 countries, including India, Southeast Asia and Australia. He works closely with developers, startups and investors to strengthen the app economy and expand the region’s digital ecosystem. Swamy also leads Google’s engagement with early-stage startups in India through the Google for Startups initiative, supporting founders and venture capital firms in accelerating the growth of digital-first businesses.
Bharti Airtel ramps up sales and marketing spend to Rs 3,182 crore in Q2 FY26
Bharti Airtel Ltd on Monday reported strong second-quarter earnings for FY26, driven by India operations and continued expansion across mobility, home broadband, and enterprise services.
The telecom major posted consolidated revenues of Rs 52,145 crore in Q2 FY26, marking a 25.7% year-on-year (YoY) increase and 5.4% growth sequentially. Growth was broad-based across both India and Africa markets.
Omnicom and Interpublic move closer to merger, extend debt exchange deadline
Omnicom Group and the Interpublic Group of Companies, two of the most storied advertising holding companies, moved a step closer to finalizing their long-anticipated merger, extending the deadline for a key financial transaction linked to the deal.
Omnicom said that it had pushed back the expiration date for its exchange offers and consent solicitations for Interpublic’s outstanding notes from October 31 to November 28. The extension, the company said, aligns with the expected closing of the merger by the end of November.
The cigarette they never quit: R. Balki on his bond with Adman Piyush Pandey
Renowned filmmaker and ad veteran R. Balki paid an emotional tribute to Piyush Pandey, recalling their decades-long friendship, creative camaraderie and the deep impact Pandey left on the advertising industry. Speaking at a gathering to celebrate the late adman Piyush Pandey, Balki’s anecdotes were heartfelt, funny and profoundly human — painting a vivid picture of the man behind India’s most iconic ads.
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SPOTLIGHT
"The raucous, almost deafening, cuss words from the heartland that Piyush Pandey used with gay abandon turned things upside down in the old world order."
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