Piyush Pandey, India’s most celebrated adman, passes away at 70

Legendary adman Piyush Pandey passed away on Friday, October 24, at the age of 70. A Padma Shri awardee, the first from India’s advertising fraternity, and former Ogilvy India chief advisor, Pandey is widely credited with changing the tone and texture of Indian advertising, layering it with unmistakable local wit, warmth, and authenticity.

Born in Jaipur to a family of nine children—seven daughters and two sons—Pandey grew up surrounded by creativity. His siblings include film director Prasoon Pandey and folk singer-actor Ila Arun. He found his way into advertising almost by accident, but once he did, he rewrote the rules of the game.

Over a four-decade career, Pandey created some of India’s most unforgettable campaigns from Fevicol’s 'Fevicol ka jod, tute nahi' and 'Egg' series, to Cadbury Dairy Milk’s 'Kuch khaas hai', and even the BJP’s 2014 election slogan 'Acche din aane wale hain.'

Pandey began his advertising career in 1982, joining Ogilvy as a client servicing executive. His first piece of copy was for the Sunlight Detergent print ad, which was a modest start to what would become a creative journey extraordinaire. 

After six years, he moved into the creative department, where he went on to craft some of India’s most enduring campaigns for brands such as Luna, Fevicol, Cadbury, and Asian Paints. Within three years, he was promoted to creative director, later rising to national creative director, and in 1994, to Ogilvy India’s board of directors.

Under his leadership, Ogilvy India became the country’s top creative shop for more than a decade in local trade rankings. He made history as the first Asian jury president at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity in 2004. 

Tributes have poured in from across the business and creative communities in India, hailing Pandey as the man who gave Indian advertising both its humour and its heart.

Source: Campaign India