Piyush Pandey, the legendary Indian adman credited with giving Indian advertising its authentic voice, has passed away. For over four decades at Ogilvy India, he created iconic, emotion-driven campaigns for brands like Fevicol and Cadbury.
Piyush Pandey, the man who taught India to speak its heart through advertising, passed away on Thursday. To millions, he wasn’t just an adman, he was the storyteller who made everyday life poetic, who turned the ordinary into unforgettable. For over four decades, his name was inseparable from Ogilvy India, the agency he helped shape into a creative powerhouse.
With his twinkling eyes, booming laugh, and unmistakable moustache, Pandey didn’t just make ads, he made emotions. His work spoke not from boardrooms, but from tea stalls, cricket fields, and living rooms. He made advertising sound like India itself.
From Tea Taster to Ad Legend
Long before he became a legend, Piyush Pandey tried his hand at everything, cricket, tea tasting, even construction work. He joined Ogilvy in 1982, a 27-year-old stepping into a world ruled by English-speaking elites. But Pandey, who thought and dreamed in Hindi, decided to make space for India’s real voice earthy, funny, warm, and authentic.
The rest is advertising folklore. From Fevicol’s iconic “Mazboot jod” ads to Cadbury’s “Kuch Khaas Hai” and Asian Paints’ “Har Khushi Mein Rang Laaye,” Pandey’s campaigns didn’t just sell products, they sold emotions, values, and smiles. He made brands part of India’s cultural memory.
“He changed not just the language of Indian advertising,” said a colleague. “He changed its heartbeat.”
A Leader Who Believed in Teams, Not Titles
Despite being one of the biggest names in the business, Pandey wore fame lightly. He often compared advertising to cricket — a team sport. “A Brian Lara can’t win for the West Indies alone,” he once said. “Then who am I?”
At Ogilvy, he became more than a boss, he was a mentor, a motivator, and a friend who could turn an idea sketched on a napkin into a national conversation. Under his guidance, Ogilvy India rose to global acclaim. In 2018, he and his brother Prasoon Pandey became the first Asians to win the Lion of St. Mark, the Cannes Lions’ lifetime achievement award.
The Heart Behind the Craft
Pandey believed that great advertising was never about clever tricks — it was about feelings. “Somewhere, you need to touch hearts,” he often said. “No one watches an ad and says, ‘How did they do it?’ They just say, ‘I love it.'”
This philosophy guided everything he did, whether it was a Fevicol laugh, a Cadbury smile, or even a political slogan like “Ab ki baar, Modi sarkar.” His work spoke the language of real people and real emotions.
His Legacy Lives Everywhere
When Piyush Pandey stepped down as Executive Chairman of Ogilvy India in 2023, he didn’t fade away, his influence lingered in every script, every storyboard, every young creative who dared to think differently.
Pandey is survived by his family, his colleagues who became family, and a body of work that will continue to echo in India’s collective memory.