The Storyteller Who Listened First- Piyush Pandey

 

In the time when ads couldn’t be skipped, not because of the absence of that option, but because of the quality of the ads. There was this Adman behind such ads, making advertisements, thinking not just what his clients would want, but what the audience would connect to. This Adman was none other than Piyush Pandey, the man who played on the front foot to give an Indian touch to the advertisement industry, which was back then just mimicking the western style, with a distant appeal. He connected advertisements to every Indian, by showcasing the creativity and the unfiltered beauty of the basic Indian lifestyle and culture! His notable advertisements for the brands like Fevicol, Cadbury, Asian Paints, Vodafone, Luna and many more made these brands popular in every Indian household, because of the way it was represented! 

Piyush Pandey transformed advertising from merely selling a product to creating a bond, where every ad spoke not to the mind, but to the heart, connecting people through stories. His taglines for products like Cadbury “Kuch Khaas hai Zindagi Mein”, gave the message to celebrate the little and simple joys of our life, and thus made Cadbury Dairy Milk the sweet symbol of joy! The tagline for Asian Paints “Har Ghar Kuch Kehta Hai”, easily turned houses to homes and the paints to stories! His Fevicol ad with the tagline “Yeh Fevicol ka jod hai, tutega nahi”, gave Fevicol the ability to glue together the trust of the people with that product! His ads were not just filled with persuasive marketing, but were filled with the stories and the emotions of Indians. And these relatable stories and emotions were then followed by persuasion. This man did not just bring logic to the ads but added magic to it! That was what he believed in. He spread his magic beyond the commercials. He helped bring social change through his advertisement for India’s Pulse Polio Programme, with the tagline “Do Boond Zindagi Ke”, starring Amitabh Bachchan. The polio-awareness campaigns turned public-health into a national conversation. This ad drove millions to vaccination booths and played a meaningful part in India’s march to polio-free status. He is also the writer of the song “Mile Sur Mera Tumhara”, the iconic 1988 song that we’ve all heard was a near-anthem for our nation that promoted national integration! This song repeated the main phrase in about 14 languages, “Where my musical note and your musical note merge, it becomes OUR musical note!” This symbolized the beauty of unity in diversity that India is known for! 

Piyush Pandey has done so much for the advertisement industry, for the brands, for the nation, for the Indian audience! His work had earned him a lot of notable awards including The Padma Shri, and other international creative laurels. He also contributed to Ogilvy India’s achievements, making it the most awarded and respected creative agency in India, under his leadership. But all of this did not change his learner and humble attitude. He was a great and inspiring leader to the new creative minds, and helped them play on the front foot and voice their ideas with confidence. That was his motto! He poured a part of his spirit, his vision, and his creative fire, empowering a new generation to dream bigger. From starting his career in this field at the age of 27, as a trainee account executive in Ogilvy to becoming a Global Chief Creative Officer and Executive Chairman India of Ogilvy. He grew the agency, the other creative souls, the advertising field, the brands and the Indian minds with himself, by his evergreen advertisements and his evergreen ideas.

If creativity is the art of making strangers feel known, then Piyush Pandey made the whole country feel recognized. Though we lost this gem on October 24th, he did leave his shine and beauty behind! He will be remembered for his humorous ads with the thoughtful stories, his emotional connecting taglines, his inspiring thoughts and his wide bright smile!

-Shravani Rajguru