New Delhi: India has lost a voice in advertising that is most creative, Piyush Pandey the man behind memorable campaigns such as Fevicol ka Jod, Cadbury Kuch Khaas Hai, and several other emotional commercials of Asian Paints and SBI, died on Friday, and he was 70. Before he died, he was said to be suffering an infection.
Piyush Pandey was not a regular adman, he was the actor who made India know how to smile, laugh, and feel with the help of adverts. He influenced the Indian advertising in over 40 years serving as the Chief Creative Officer of the firm, Ogilvy. He has been working in Ogilvy since 1982 and as years went on, he turned the agency into one of the most reliable and innovative forces in the country.
Piyush Pandey was a Storyteller who understood India:
The beauty of the work of Piyush Pandey was that he understood the Indian culture and emotion very well. His advertisements did not have the effect of advertisements but rather stories that we all could identify with. He employed plain hindi, known faces, local humour, local settings. It could be either a carpenter applying Fevicol ka Jod or a girl running into the cricket ground in the Cadbury Dairy Milk commercial, but Pandey created the heart-touching moments.
Piyush Pandey believed in emotion and storytelling unlike most of the contemporary advertisements that were based on glamour and technology. He always made a slice of Indian life, laughter, love and, occasionally, nostalgia in his work. He used to say that ads need not just sell, but also make people smile, think and remember.
Pandey did much more than just catchy taglines in the industry. His innovation made him a worldwide star and a lot of awards, among which are a few Cannes Lions. The Government of India gave him the Padma Shri in 2016 in recognition of his exceptional work in advertising.
However, to his associates, his legacy was not the trophies but his culture. He was considered to be easy to meet and funny at work and extremely passionate about developing young talent at Ogilvy. Coworkers who knew him recall him as a person who was of the opinion that anybody can generate great ideas even a junior copywriter making a straight forward observation about life.
His death shook the creative and business worlds of India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that he was saddened and Pandey was a creative genius who had the pulse of the people…
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, as well as numerous advertising industry experts, gave him heartfelt eulogies, not only in his brilliance, but also in his modesty and friendliness.
He was referred to by many in advertising industry as someone who challenged them to remain in their own culture but at the same time be creative in their thought process. Despite the global acclaim, Pandey never had a loss of his desi touch. His naivete and jokes endears him to everyone he worked with.
Celebs like Anupam Kher also Tweeted with a emotional face cam message…
Piyush Pandey transformed the Indian identity in a lot of aspects. His work gave the middle class Indians, whose sole purpose in life was doing extraordinary things, a voice. His advertisements became the national part of the memory, as the old songs or movie dialogues.
Ad’s done by Piyush Pandey
Fevicol: “Fevicol ka Jod” (Funny and creative ads showing the unbeatable bond of Fevicol.)
Fevikwik: “Chutki Mein Chipkaaye” (Quick and clever ads showing how fast the glue works.)
Cadbury Dairy Milk: “Kuch Khaas Hai” (The ad where a girl dances on the cricket field celebrating joy…)
Asian Paints: “Har Ghar Kuch Kehta Hai” (Showed that every home has its own story and emotions.)
Bajaj: “Hamara Bajaj” (A proud Indian campaign celebrating the power of India.)
Hutch / Vodafone: “The Pug” and “ZooZoos” (Cute and fun ads showing strong connection and creativity.)
Pond’s: “Googly Woogly Woosh” (A sweet and catchy skincare campaign.)
Polio Awareness: “Do Boond Zindagi Ke” (Encouraged parents to give polio drops to children.)
Luna Moped: “Chal Meri Luna” (A popular ad that became a household tune.)
SBI: Family and trust-based ads (Focused on relationships, care, and dependability.)
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