For decades, brand management was about control . Control over messaging. Control over perception. Control over how a brand “shows up” in the market. That era is officially over. Today, brands don’t live in boardrooms or brand guideline PDFs. They live in algorithms, conversations, comment sections, AI outputs, and community screens . And the biggest shift in modern brand management is this: Brands are no longer managed. They are co-created. The Rise of AI-Shaped Brand Perception A consumer today might first “meet” your brand through: A ChatGPT response A Google AI Overview A Midjourney-generated visual A Reddit thread A WhatsApp forward None of these are fully under your control. AI systems are now interpreting, summarizing, and retelling your brand story based on: Online content Reviews Social conversations Website copy Public sentiment This has given rise to a new reality in brand management: If AI doesn’t understand your brand clearl...
When I first heard the news of Piyush Pandey’s passing , I felt a strange silence inside me — the kind that comes when you realize an era has truly ended. For me, and for so many marketers, he wasn’t just a creative genius; he was the soul of Indian advertising . Over the years, I’ve studied hundreds of campaigns, from global brands to local startups. But every time I think of what made Indian advertising truly Indian , one name stands out — Piyush Pandey . His work wasn’t about flashy visuals or celebrity endorsements. It was about people, emotions, and everyday life. It was about us . The Storyteller Who Spoke India’s Language Piyush Pandey’s magic lay in his ability to find stories in the simplest corners of life — the chai stall, the crowded bus, the festival laughter, the mother’s scolding. He didn’t just sell products; he celebrated people. Think about Fevicol’s “Bus Ad” — a bunch of villagers crammed together, yet no one falls off. Simple, humorous, unforgettable. That’s In...