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Remembering Diwan Arun Nanda, advertising stalwart who helped shape Indian marketing
Diwan Arun Nanda, co-founder of Rediffusion and one of Indian advertising’s most influential leaders, has died at 76.
Nanda’s influence extended beyond advertising. He advised Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in the 1980s, led joint ventures with international networks such as Young & Rubicam, and served on the boards of Air India, Eveready, Kingfisher Airlines and Yes Bank. His voice carried weight across industries, often bridging the gap between marketing, corporate governance and public life.
Diwan Arun Nanda, one of Indian advertising’s most influential figures and a co-founder of the agency Rediffusion, died this week in Mumbai. He was 76.
A trailblazer in brand building and a steadfast advocate of ethics in advertising, Nanda leaves behind a legacy that spans half a century and helped define how products and politics alike were marketed to Indian audiences.
Born in 1948, Nanda was part of the first graduating class of the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. A gold medallist, he began his career at Hindustan Lever in the late 1960s, joining its pioneering management trainee program. He displayed an early knack for connecting products to consumers with campaigns such as the lightning bolt mnemonic for Rin detergent, which became instantly recognizable in Indian households.
In 1973, along with Ajit Balakrishnan and Mohammed Khan, Nanda founded Rediffusion. At a time when global agencies dominated the Indian market, Rediffusion’s rise was nothing short of audacious. Its win of the Eveready battery account in the 1970s - with the slogan “The chosen one. For your transistor”, marked the agency’s arrival as a creative force.
Under his leadership, Rediffusion produced some of India’s most enduring advertising campaigns. Clients included marquee names across sectors, from telecom to consumer goods. Yet Nanda was known not only for business acumen, client relationships and creativity but also for an unyielding sense of responsibility. In one instance, when a new magazine failed to live up to claims made in Rediffusion’s ads, he resigned the account, believing the campaign had inadvertently misled readers.
Nanda’s influence extended beyond advertising. He advised Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in the 1980s, led joint ventures with international networks such as Young & Rubicam, and served on the boards of Air India, Eveready, Kingfisher Airlines and Yes Bank. His voice carried weight across industries, often bridging the gap between marketing, corporate governance and public life.
Colleagues recall him as a mentor who prized clear thinking and principled leadership. “Rediffusion’s journey was a dream run,” he once reflected, highlighting his pride in having built one of India’s few independent agencies with global stature.
His passing closes a chapter in Indian advertising, one defined by ambition, pride in Indian creativity and a refusal to compromise.
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