Piyush Pandey, the towering creative force who transformed the face and soul of Indian advertising, passed away on Thursday. Widely regarded as the man who gave Indian advertising its voice — and its accent — Pandey spent over four decades at Ogilvy India, the agency that became almost synonymous with his name and vision.
His death marks the end of an era in which advertising spoke not from ivory towers, but from the heart of India. With his booming laugh, his trademark moustache, and his instinct for stories rooted in the everyday lives of people, Pandey changed the language, texture, and emotional depth of brand communication in the country.
A Voice for the People
Pandey joined Ogilvy in 1982 after brief stints as a cricketer, tea taster, and construction worker. At 27, he entered an ad world dominated by English — and changed it forever. His work for brands like Asian Paints (“Har khushi mein rang laaye”), Cadbury (“Kuch Khaas Hai”), Fevicol, and Hutch turned advertisements into cultural touchstones.
Through his campaigns, Pandey brought Hindi and colloquial Indian idioms into mainstream advertising, infusing them with humor, warmth, and humanity. “He changed not just the language of Indian advertising,” said a longtime colleague. “He changed its grammar.”
A Reluctant Icon
Despite his fame, Pandey remained self-effacing, often describing himself as part of a team rather than its star. A passionate cricketer, he likened advertising to a team sport. “A Brian Lara can’t win for the West Indies alone,” he once said. “Then who am I?”
Under his leadership, Ogilvy India became one of the most awarded agencies in the world and a training ground for generations of creative leaders. In 2018, Pandey and his brother, filmmaker Prasoon Pandey, became the first Asians to receive the prestigious Lion of St. Mark at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity — an acknowledgment of a lifetime of work that elevated Indian storytelling to global heights.
Ideas Above All
Known for his belief that advertising must touch hearts, not just impress minds, Pandey championed creativity rooted in emotion and truth. He often warned young creatives against chasing technology or trends at the cost of originality.
“Somewhere, you need to touch the hearts,” he once said. “No audience is going to see your work and say, ‘How did they do it?’ They will say, ‘I love it.’”
A Lasting Legacy
Even as India’s advertising landscape evolved, Pandey’s influence endured. He helped craft one of India’s most memorable political slogans — “Ab ki baar, Modi sarkar” — but his deeper legacy lies in the generations of storytellers he inspired to find authenticity in the local, the emotional, and the real.
When he stepped down as Executive Chairman of Ogilvy India in 2023 to take on an advisory role, it was the quiet close of a chapter written in bold, booming Hindi and sealed with his wry smile.
Pandey is survived by his family, his colleagues who became his extended family, and a body of work that continues to define Indian advertising’s heart and soul.
He once said that the best ideas come “from the street, from life, from listening.” In that, he gave India not just great ads, but something rarer — a language of its own.
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