Industry leaders including Rajeev Raja (Founder, Soundsmith and BrandMusiq), Lloyd Mathias (former Marketing Head at PepsiCo, Motorola, and HP), and the Ogilvy team have shared heartfelt tributes in memory of ad legend Piyush Pandey.
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The Indian advertising world stands still today. Piyush Pandey, the man who gave Indian advertising its soul, its swagger, and its unmistakable Indian-ness, is no more. The loss is not just of a creative legend, but of a storyteller who redefined how a nation saw itself, with warmth, wit, and wisdom.
In a statement, Ogilvy, the agency that Pandey helped transform into a creative powerhouse over four decades, said,“It is with great sadness that we share the passing away of our beloved Piyush Pandey. He wasn’t just the heart and voice of Ogilvy for over 40 years, but also a creative force who redefined the very identity of Indian advertising. Bringing worldwide recognition and love to work rooted in our culture. His iconic work and unforgettable lessons have left an everlasting impact on each and every one of us at Ogilvy. Thank you for inspiring us, for teaching us to be brave, for your generosity, your candor, your kindness, and thank you for always playing on the front foot! Goodbye, dearest Piyush. Rest in eternal peace.”
For those who worked with him, Pandey wasn’t merely a creative chief. He was a mentor, a teacher, and a cultural translator, someone who taught an entire generation of advertisers how to speak the language of India with authenticity and heart.
Rajeev Raja, Founder of Soundsmith and BrandMusiq, recalled his time working with Pandey at Bates,“It is truly a heart-rending loss to the advertising and marketing industry. I had the privilege of working closely with Piyush when he was my superboss at Bates. The greatest gift he had was distilling a complex communication task into its simplest, most human-relatable form. RIP, legend.”
That “human-relatable form” defined Pandey’s craft. Long before words like “localization” and “authenticity” became marketing buzzwords, he had already mastered the art of communication that felt homegrown and universal at once. His genius lay in finding poetry in everyday life and transforming it into stories that stayed.
From Fevicol’s “todo nahi, jodo” to Cadbury Dairy Milk’s “Asli swaad zindagi ka,” from Asian Paints’ “Har ghar kuch kehta hai” to the adorable Zoozoos of Vodafone, Pandey’s work didn’t just sell products, it shaped pop culture. His campaigns didn’t shout. They smiled. They connected. They reminded Indians that their quirks, emotions, and imperfections were what made their stories beautiful.
The Voice of an India in Transition
When Pandey began his journey at Ogilvy in the early 1980s, Indian advertising was still deeply influenced by Western templates. The language was formal, the tone aspirational, and the imagery often alien to the Indian heartland. Pandey, armed with a background as a tea taster and a cricketer, flipped the script. He believed the best ideas were those that came from the mohalla, not the boardroom.
His work mirrored an India that was finding its own confidence. As the economy liberalized in the 1990s, Pandey’s ads gave voice to a country that was finally beginning to celebrate itself, earthy, emotional, and proud of its roots. His creativity was both art and anthropology.
Lloyd Mathias, former marketing head at PepsiCo, Motorola, and HP, reflected on what made Pandey unique,“Piyush Pandey was a legend not just for his body of work but for the person who he was. A giant who never let go of the core of his craft, memorable storytelling that touched people. He transformed Indian advertising by changing the tone and tenor: from corporate speak to the heart of India, infusing it with earthiness and humility.”
But Pandey’s impact wasn’t limited to clients or consumers. His generosity as a leader is remembered with equal reverence. Mathias added,“Kind and gentle, Piyush treated even junior marketing folks with respect, always willing to explain why a particular creative route would do justice to their objectives. I remember the time at Motorola when, for the first time ever, the brand was creating advertising outside of the US. Piyush patiently took my American colleagues through the nuances of Indian behaviour and why doing things differently was the only way to connect.”
It was this deep understanding of cultural nuance that made Pandey’s work universal in its appeal. His storytelling spoke to India but resonated globally, a rare gift that helped Ogilvy India gain recognition at Cannes Lions and other international stages.
A Legacy Larger Than Advertising
In 2016, Pandey was awarded the Padma Shri, one of India’s highest civilian honours, for his contributions to the arts. But even that didn’t quite capture his essence. To his peers, he was not just an adman, he was the conscience of Indian creativity.
His creative philosophy was deceptively simple: “If you don’t feel it, don’t make it.” He believed advertising should move people, make them smile, tear up, or pause, not just sell. That principle guided everything he did, from mentoring young copywriters to shaping national campaigns.
And while his moustache and baritone became as recognizable as his slogans, what truly defined him was his humility. Pandey was never the distant creative genius in an ivory tower. He was the man who could chat cricket with a spot boy, share a chai with a client, and still crack the most memorable line in the room.
As the tributes pour in, one sentiment echoes across the industry, that an era has ended. In an age where algorithms measure engagement and AI crafts headlines, Pandey’s legacy is a reminder that the most powerful stories still come from the heart.
He leaves behind a canon of work that will continue to inspire generations, not just of advertisers, but of storytellers who dare to believe that truth, humour, and emotion still matter.
Goodbye, Piyush Pandey. You didn’t just sell brands, you built belief. You made India listen to itself, and love what it heard.