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Amul pays tribute to Piyush Pandey: The man who gave Indian advertising its voice
When Piyush Pandey joined Ogilvy in 1982 as a client servicing executive, the industry was dominated by English and Western sensibilities. Within a few years, Pandey changed that.
When Amul released its tribute — a black-and-white sketch of Piyush Pandey with the words “Inka sur sabse mila” — it captured what generations of Indians already felt. The line, meaning “his tune matched with everyone,” summed up a man whose work spoke the language of India long before brands learned how.
Piyush Pandey, who passed away on October 24, 2025, at the age of 70, was not just an adman but the beating heart of Indian advertising. As Chief Creative Officer Worldwide and Executive Chairman of Ogilvy India, he transformed how brands spoke to the public — replacing polish with personality, and distance with emotion.
Born in Jaipur in 1955, Pandey had an unconventional start. Before advertising, he was a cricketer, a tea taster, and a construction worker. When he joined Ogilvy in 1982 as a client servicing executive, the industry was dominated by English and Western sensibilities. Within a few years, Pandey changed that.
He moved to the creative department and began crafting campaigns rooted in Indian life — ads that spoke in the country’s own idioms and rhythms. “He didn’t just change the language of Indian advertising,” said a colleague. “He changed its grammar.”
Pandey’s campaigns were more than clever ideas — they were snapshots of India’s heart. The Fevicol ads turned glue into a metaphor for resilience and humor. Cadbury Dairy Milk’s “Kuch Khaas Hai” celebrated joy with the iconic dancing girl who broke social norms. Asian Paints’ “Har Ghar Kuch Kehta Hai” turned walls into storytellers. And Bajaj’s “Hamara Bajaj” became a patriotic anthem for the middle class.
He also crafted one of India’s most famous political slogans — “Ab ki baar, Modi sarkar” — which echoed across the country during the 2014 elections.
The Team Player
Despite his fame, Pandey stayed grounded. A cricket lover, he often compared advertising to a team sport. “A Brian Lara can’t win for the West Indies alone,” he once said. “Then who am I?” Under his leadership, Ogilvy India became one of the world’s most awarded agencies and a home for generations of creative minds.
In 2018, Piyush and his brother, filmmaker Prasoon Pandey, became the first Asians to receive the Lion of St. Mark at the Cannes Lions Festival — recognition of a lifetime dedicated to storytelling with soul.
Legacy of Emotion
Pandey believed great advertising came from empathy, not technology. “No audience will say, ‘How did they do it?’” he once said. “They will say, ‘I love it.’”
He was honored with the Padma Shri in 2016 and the LIA Legend Award in 2024. When he stepped down as Executive Chairman in 2023, he left behind a legacy that was more than a portfolio — it was a vocabulary of emotion that defined how India saw itself.
Pandey is survived by his family, including his siblings Ila Arun and Prasoon Pandey, and by countless creatives who learned from his philosophy.
Amul’s tribute said it best — his tune matched with everyone. In life and in work, Piyush Pandey made sure that the heart of India always had a voice.
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