Piyush Pandey dies at 70; the industry mourns a legend

Piyush Pandey, a name once synonymous with Indian advertising, has passed away at the age of 70. Over his four decades at Ogilvy, the chief creative officer worldwide and executive chairman-India, was widely credited with helping the industry move away from a Westernised tone and find its unique accent.

Pandey joined Ogilvy in 1982, and by 1994, he had risen to become the agency’s national creative director. His natural storytelling and keen instinct for spotting a good idea led to some of India’s most memorable campaigns, such as ‘Kuch Khaas Hai’ for Cadbury Dairy Milk and ‘Har Ghar Kuch Kehta Hai’ for Asian Paints.

His influence extended beyond brands. One of his earliest works that propelled him into fame was penning the lyrics of ‘Mile Sur Mera Tumhara’ in 1988. That campaign promoting national integration and his iconic line ‘Ab Ki Baar, Modi Sarkar’ both left an indelible mark on the country’s collective consciousness.

Pandey’s overflowing trophy case reflected his keen wit and immense talent. He was awarded the Padma Shri award in 2016 (India’s fourth-highest civilian honour), the CLIO Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012, and picked up countless metals for Ogilvy at the Cannes Lions and the Abbys. 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.

Last year, Pandey added another feather to his cap: the 2024 LIA Legend Award. “[Piyush’s] legacy is impossible to capture, for the very reason that it's so transcendent. He’s championed and inspired generations of our industry, raising the bar creatively in ways that impact careers and people’s lives all over the world,” Liz Taylor, global chief creative officer, Ogilvy, had said at the time.

Despite his many accolades, Pandey remained grounded and, as many a junior would attest, very approachable. His peers, mentees and friends tell Campaign about the man behind those iconic ads and the giant shoes he left behind.

Agnello Dias, co-founder, Spinach Experience Design

My earliest memory of Piyush was playing against him in a cricket match at Cross Maidan in Mumbai. I was the No.9 batsman and ground it out for a draw, denying O&M an outright win. Piyush bowled to six fielders around me for an hour. Later, he came and put an arm around me, saying, ‘They should have sent me higher up the order.'

Over the years, we got quite close, bonding in various parts of the world, including a safari in Kruger National Park, South Africa. His biggest contribution, besides creating ads, was inventing a new process and approach to advertising that had not been done before. He was naturally very warm, his handshakes felt like hugs, and his hugs felt like family. I don’t think he would look back and say that he didn’t do his best at any point. He was always all in.

Ajeet Shukla, national creative director and creative head-West, Dentsu Creative Webchutney

I grew up on his work, and I’ve never felt awestruck by anyone except him. It’s always a fanboy moment for me whenever I see him. He was the reason many of us became part of the advertising world.

We didn’t have a TV at home, but I was allowed to watch certain programs at my neighbour’s house. One day, in the middle of a show, a Fevicol ad appeared. I asked my friend what it was, and his father said, “It’s a vigyapan (advertisement).” I was in school at the time, and I was completely awestruck — who could think of and create something like that? One of my friend’s relatives was in Delhi then, working with a newspaper. I asked him about the ad, and he told me about the entire process and a gentleman named Piyush Pandey.

I had a huge collection of his work saved on my hard drive — from print ads to TVCs, and even articles written about him. I never got the chance to work with him, but I’ve always learned from his craft, his thinking, and his simplicity. He taught us that an idea can be simple yet powerful. He also taught us the importance of music in storytelling. While others were busy creating ads, he created brand love and emotion. Mile Sur Mera Tumhara, Majboot Jod, Kuchh Khaas Hai, Kuchh Meetha Ho Jaaye, Har Ghar Kuchh Kehta Hai, Abki Baar… Har Baar — he connected with people’s hearts.

Amit Akali, co-founder and chief mentor, Wondrlab

The loud, hearty laugh has been silenced. But will be remembered forever by everyone who’s ever met him. Piyush had the sharpest, wicked and most spontaneous sense of humour I’ve ever come across, cracking a joke a minute and then laughing loudly at his own joke. So much so that everyone around would echo his laughter.

While his laughter will never be forgotten, what’s embodied in me is his philosophy to live life on the front foot. “Front foot pe khelo,” (Play on the front foot), he would say. Whether it was a pitch presentation or a senior client meeting, the cricketer in him would always push us to play aggressively, present the wackiest, most scary idea, without any fear. I think this front-foot philosophy is what defined and differentiated the work coming out of Ogilvy. The same creative talent works across agencies, but why did they produce better work at Ogilvy? I always felt that Ogilvy sold better work because of this front-foot philosophy. I don’t think we would have been able to create the ‘surprisingly SBI’ work or ‘Bingo’ in any other agency. This philosophy was ingrained in his entire team; each of us then playing on the front foot.

His genius didn’t stop him from being the most disciplined person where work was concerned. However late he partied, he would be in the office at 9 am. Often, we were the only two in the office at that hour. Piyush, you will be loved, you will be missed, you will be remembered. And I am sure wherever you are, you’ll be playing on the front foot.

Archana Jain, founder and CEO, PR Pundit Havas Red

It's a sad day not only for India's creative brigade but the world of advertising. Piyush infused an electrifying, creative energy into advertising, the kind that will continue to inspire generations of marketers and creators. The annals of marketing education will be forever replete with his legendary campaigns. PR Pundit had the privilege of supporting one such campaign under his leadership — the Savlon Healthy Hands Chalk Sticks, which went on to win us a Cannes Gold PR Lion. I visualise him doing a Vodafone Zoo Zoo up in heaven.

Chetna Israni, founder and director, Morning Star BrandCom

As someone studying advertising in the early 2000s, I still recall how Piyush Pandey’s work blurred the line between classroom theory and real life. One moment, we’d be analysing a campaign, and the next, we’d hear people on the street quoting it or humming the jingle. His iconic Vodafone ad ‘You and I, in this beautiful world’ with the little Hutch dog, became the shorthand for simplicity done right. That was my earliest memory of his genius: advertising that wasn’t just seen, it was felt.

Piyush had a rare ability to find the simplest stories, a man and his dog for Vodafone, the everyday sweetness of Cadbury, or the sturdy humour of Fevicol, and turn them into lasting emotion. Among all his creations, ‘Kuch Khaas Hai’ remains timeless for me. It redefined how emotion could sell, not by spectacle, but by empathy. He proved that influence in advertising comes from understanding people, not manipulating metrics.

What set Piyush apart was his ability to speak with India, not to it. He gave Indian advertising its own voice, rooted in idiom, warmth, and cultural truth. He made the vernacular aspirational and the premium relatable. He reminded us that at its best, advertising is not about visibility, but belonging. That ability to make India see itself and smile while doing it is his enduring legacy.

Harish Bijoor, founder, Harish Bijoor Consults

The irrepressible Piyush Pandey is no more, and that is a sad thought. My earliest memory of Piyush was in the old days when we would bump into one another as speakers at events at corporate, you know, enterprises. The bulk of the time, you know, I would be speaking about brands, and Piyush should be talking about advertising. I have always found his thoughts to be totally real, totally rustic, and totally with India. So, to that extent, I think Piyush breathed into every one of his creatives' Indianness. He was possibly one of the earliest revivers of what I today call Desi revival, a true faith in Desi the rustic, the real, as opposed to the artificial and the top-down. Piyush always thought bottom up. And I do believe that has been his strength, that has been his impact on Indian advertising by and large.

The Indianness that Piyush brought to the corporate boardroom was a distinctive ability that actually set him apart. I have been on the other side of the fence evaluating creative responses, and Piyush has never failed to inspire. Piyush has never failed to astonish. If the brain were in his hands, one could rest assured that things would go fine. Things would be going with the tone, tenor and decibel of the real, as opposed to the artificial.

Sir Martin Sorrell, founder and executive chairman, S4Capital/Monks

We all loved Piyush. He was a real Indian tiger who led Ogilvy from the front to the end and was a creative titan.

Clients really appreciate creative leaders, and he was one of the finest, carving out a reputation globally well beyond India’s borders. And, of course, he was a fine cricketer and cricket lover. It was a privilege to know him, work with him and be with him.

We have recently lost two of Ogilvy and WPP’s finest leaders - Piyush and Sergio Amado. We wish Piyush’s family a long life.

Mithila Saraf, CEO, Famous Innovations

A few years ago, at Cannes Lions, Piyush Pandey and his brother Prasoon were being celebrated for receiving the Lion of St. Mark at Cannes Lions. That evening, they were having dinner with their family at Piyush’s favourite Thai restaurant in Cannes. Abhijit Avasthi, who is my boss Raj Kamble’s dear friend and former copy partner, said we could drop by to congratulate them. It was meant to be a short visit, but when Piyush saw us, he immediately asked us to join. Raj was like family to him, but what struck me most was that he extended that same warmth to me, an outsider.

The table had Piyush Pandey, Prasoon Pandey, Ila Arun, Abhijit Avasthi, Sonal Dabral and his wife, and yet what made the moment feel grand was not the setting, but the people. Every conversation was a story, every story an observation about life — families, quirks, relationships, emotions. Each one revealed how deeply he noticed the world around him.

What stood out most that night was the effortlessness with which Piyush told those stories. There was no performance, no intention, just instinct. And I realised that this was exactly what made his work magical too. The same ease with which he could turn a dinner-table anecdote into a reflection of the world was the ease with which he turned human truth into timeless work.

It was one evening, but one I’ll never forget, because in that effortless storytelling lay the secret of why Piyush Pandey wasn’t just India’s greatest adman, but its greatest listener.

Navonil Chatterjee, head of strategy, Creativeland Asia and managing partner of Crossbow Insights

My first memory of Piyush is when he came to MICA to take a session for us. A class full of boys and girls excited about advertising were all starry-eyed in his presence – just like devotees are in the presence of their deity. He looked at the sitting arrangement in our class and said, “I don’t like this long-on, long-off” kind of thing, and instantly, two realisations dawned on me. Firstly, this man saw something different in everything, and secondly, he lived and breathed cricket all the time. Piyush went on to prove the second point by narrating to us the anecdote of how, after tasting a candy that his client was launching, he blurted out: “Arre, yeh toh Googly ho gaya”, and that’s how the brand was named eventually!

His biggest impact on the ad industry is that he made Indian advertising realise its own power and potential, and that he made thousands of twinkle-eyed people believe in their own magic and creativity. Indian advertising never had, and never will, have a bigger source of inspiration than Piyush Pandey.

Prasoon Joshi, CEO and CCO of McCann Worldgroup India and chairman of McCann Worldgroup Asia Pacific

It’s very hard to imagine that Piyush is gone. I am travelling overseas and am deeply sad that I won’t be able to be there for his last rites. I still remember my earliest days in advertising — meeting him a bit unsure, carrying a few recordings of radio spots I had written. Piyush listened to them intently, every word, every pause. Then, in front of the team, he said, “See, he’s ideated, written, composed, and sung this. It’s fantastic. Prasoon, every talent you have is of use in this industry, so stay here.”

There used to be this misconception, especially among those of us from smaller towns, that the language we spoke at home didn’t belong in agency corridors. Piyush changed that. He told everyone to use the language to blur the line between who you are and what you create. That’s what I learnt from him — that ideas don’t come from pretending, they come from honesty. From who you are, what you’ve lived.

Prathap Suthan, managing partner, BangInTheMiddle

Many will share their own Piyush moments today, and I am sure there will be many. He was the true leader of Indian advertising creativity. He brought pride to the Indian brand of advertising and helped us discover our cultural signature.

My relationship with him began at the Abbys in 2004, when I was leading Grey and he was leading Ogilvy. That year, Grey finished second behind Ogilvy at the Mahalakshmi Race Course. What happened next said everything about the man. He walked down from where he was sitting, stood below us on those steps, and applauded. That was not just grace. It was a generosity of spirit. No ego, no envy, only pure appreciation for good work and the fight it took to get there. That gesture stayed with me and taught me to acknowledge not only those who lead but also those who follow. Even when he couldn’t make it to the inauguration of the Trivandrum Ad Club, he sent a warm video message that filled the room with his presence. That was who he was, always encouraging, inspiring, guffawing, and lifting others. What a sudden darkness after Diwali. Almost as if he waited for the celebrations to end before he left us.

Ramesh Narayan, founder, Canco Advertising

My earliest memory of Piyush is of a young man dressed in black pants and a shirt running up and down the stage, collecting an unending stream of Abby Awards.

He brought language copywriting to the forefront for the first time and opened up vast vistas of creativity in a country as large and diverse as India. But what [truly] set him apart was his willingness to help. He never refused my many requests, all for the industry, of course, and genuinely believed that the industry should be respected. Of course, he was humble and ever-smiling and a great friend.

Rajesh Kejriwal, founder and CEO, Kyoorius Group

Piyush Pandey and I met in 2007 at the second-ever Designyatra. At the time, I was looking for someone who could talk about brands not just as logos or identities, but as living, breathing reflections of culture. Designers could speak about DNA, philosophy, and form, but I wanted someone who could speak about the heart. There was no one better than Piyush for that.

He arrived without fanfare — no entourage, no airs. Just warmth, humour, and that unmistakable sparkle in his eye. What struck me instantly was how deeply human he was. Approachable. Curious. Genuinely interested in people, not just ideas. From that day, he wasn’t just a speaker on our stage or an icon of Indian advertising — he became a friend in the truest sense.

Piyush had this extraordinary ability to connect emotion with simplicity. His work never leaned on cleverness alone; it carried truth. A deep understanding of the Indian heart and the human condition. He gave advertising in India a voice that was authentic, rooted, and yet aspirational. Through his words, wisdom, and leadership, he helped generations of creatives believe that greatness didn’t come from mimicking the West, but from finding meaning in our own language, culture, and rhythm. What set Piyush apart wasn’t just his craft; it was his character. He led with empathy, celebrated everyone’s success as much as his own, and never lost touch with his humility or humour. To me, he embodied what Indian creativity truly stands for: heart, honesty, and humanity.

Ranjeev Vij, managing partner, Hakuhodo India

My earliest memory of Piyush is how he could cut through all the noise in a room and bring everyone back to the heart of the idea. He would simply say, “Moti baat batao, kya bolna hai.” That line captured his entire philosophy of clarity, simplicity, and emotion.

Piyush gave Indian advertising its own authentic voice, rooted in our culture, humour, and everyday life. He showed us that emotion and human truth could build brands more powerfully than anything else. What set him apart was his ability to connect with people and with the heart of India. The Indian advertising industry will never be able to fill this gap. He was a giant.

Satbir Singh, founder, Thinkstr.in

Piyush was not just an ad-man; he was a ‘walking-talking’ coaching manual. You just observed and absorbed. In the early 2000s, on his periodic visits to Ogilvy’s Delhi office, Piyush would drop into each CD’s cabin and see what we were up to. On one such big-man day, it was my turn. I showed him something we were working on and sheepishly mumbled that the campaign had degenerated over successive meetings. “Toh champion, ye rehne de, woh dikha jo first round mein present kiya tha.” I internalised that and it became a process I followed with my teams thereafter.

One remembers every single meeting with the GOAT. I was with him once in his car on a drive from Bandra to Navi Mumbai. The Hutch dog commercial was running successfully on TV, and Piyush had a dozen calls where he gleefully shared how the price of pugs had shot through the roof and that it might be a profitable division for the agency. Or, how he’d head straight from the airport to Bristol Gurgaon for a hearty breakfast of alu paranthe before a client meeting.

In a one-hour meeting, the client and Piyush would discuss each other’s families for 45 minutes, and we’d take the last 15 to present work. “Piyush ne dekh liya hai” was enough to keep anyone from asking us about the work in progress. Every once in a while, a client would ask us the same. It reassured them that the creative was worth putting their marketing rupee behind.

I’ll let you in on a secret here. Sometimes Piyush ne nahin bhi dekha hota tha, but we’d still claim it and get away with it. But then, a keen cricketer himself, Piyush had taught us to “front foot pe khelo!”

Now that he’s shifted residence from here, Heaven must already be booming with his infectious laughter. The Gods must be thinking of roping him in to write a campaign.

Sujay Rachh, chief marketing officer, Nuvama Group

People like Piyush Pandey don't really go away. His work, his principles, and his approach to storytelling live on far beyond the man himself. In my early growing-up-advertising days, Indian advertising had its own set of legends. People like Piyush Pandey, Balki, Prasoon Joshi, and more. These heavyweights set the creative bar for the industry.

But in all humility, there were really just two great institutions that defined the industry. One that he led, and one that I was part of. We admired his work deeply and competed fiercely against it at the same time. I met him once at an airport and asked him for career advice. His reply was simple and profound, "At the end of it, it's all about common sense. If you have it, you'll go far.”

Watching him take the stage at the Effies with his team year after year was a sight that used to sting, the good kind of sting. I remember telling my boss, "Next year, we'll defeat them." And we did. Then, for years, it became a case of either us or them winning. It pushed us to work harder and eventually beat them. In competition, too, there was a lot of respect. His unmistakable voice will continue to echo through Indian advertising, not just in commercials, but in the way generations of ad professionals think and create.

Sumanto Chattopadhyay, former chairman and CCO of 82.5 Communications, Ogilvy Group

Piyush Pandey was my boss for most of my career. He had a gift for spotting the simplest yet most brilliant ideas, and an uncanny ability to understand people — not just the masses, but people of every stripe. Connecting with human beings is what made him tick. If you walked in with an idea, he would instantly find the gold in it, and if there was none, he would be blunt and tell you so, without ever killing your spirit.

What set him apart was his sheer love for ideas. He would even call former colleagues who had moved abroad if he believed they could bring one of his thoughts to life. That unfiltered enthusiasm for creativity--generous, heartfelt and infectious--is the legacy he leaves behind in all of us.

Titus Upputuru, filmmaker and former national creative director, Taproot Detnsu

One of the earliest memories of Piyush was when, as a young, excited creative, I finished making the Afghan Telecom film and went to show it to him in his office. Soon after the 50-second film finished playing, a senior creative who was also present in the room began suggesting some changes. Piyush intervened by hugging me and saying, ‘It’s untouchable’, and he asked us to run it without a single change. Those words ring in my heart as I, along with the entire advertising industry, mourn the loss of our advertising father.

Piyush’s impact is immeasurable. But what really stands out when I think of him is his approach. He loosened the nerves of this industry. He taught us to laugh. Not only with his lovely work, but everywhere he went -- board rooms, conference halls, power corridors -- loosened up when he laughed and instantly relaxed the atmosphere.

Vikram Sakhuja, group CEO, Madison Media

In my 12 years as a client at P&G and Coca-Cola, due to global agency alignments, I didn’t get a chance to work with Piyush, a cause for much FOMO. It was at the turn of the century, when GroupM was formed, that we became part of the WPP family. I found Piyush to have a wonderful sense of humour, an ability to make people comfortable and an incredible sense of fair play. He was generous with his time and thoughts, and could deliver deep life’s truths with a quip or a story.

His most significant impact on advertising lay in his ability to build brands out of local cultural insights. From building the moped category with ‘Chal meri Luna’, making ‘Fevicol ka jod’ a metaphor for unbreakable bonds, raising the age for chocolates with Cadbury’s ‘Kuch Kaas Hai’, giving homes a personality with Asian Paints’s ‘Har Ghar Kuch Kehta Hai’ to personifying Vodafone as a network that follows you using a pug and a few years later using ZooZoos to show the incredible capability and diversity of Vodafone’s VAS services, Piyush would see the same world that we do but with different eyes. He would then turn that into an idea that stuck in our heads.

Source: Campaign India