Piyush Pandey, the voice of Indian advertising, dies at 70

Piyush Pandey, a creative person whose creativity changed Indian advertisement through his ideas, voice and soul, died at the age of 70.

He was born in Jaipur and first Piyush Pandey gave his voice for advertising in radio jingles for everyday products. He joined Ogilvy in 1982 before this he dabbled in cricket, construction work and tea tasting. After entering into Ogilvy, he found his passion and redefined Indian advertisement.

Piyush at the age of 27, entered this industry and broke the mould with his creativity which was the language of the common people. Advertising campaign for companies like Asian paints “Har Khushi me rang laae”, Fevicol's “Egg” film, Hutch's pug and many more ads became popular advertisement.

In Ogilvy India, he held the position of Executive chairman India and Chief Creative Officer Worldwide. He was a cultural icon, a creative visionary and a good leader.

Piyush Pandey revolutionzed advertisement industry which was once ruled by English and e aesthetics. He gave many ads which created a great place in people's mind.

Ads like Cadbury's “ Kuch Khaas hai hum sabhi Mein”, in early 2000s the “You & I” campaign featuring Cheeka the pug following a boy everywhere became a cultural sensation.

A social message through his campaign for India's Pulse Polio Programme “ Do boond zindgi ki”. 

He also contibuted to natinal coheion with “Mile Sur Mera Tumahara” and was elected as the Cannes Lions International Festival of creativity's first Asian jury president. 

In 2016, he received a Padma Shri award in recognition of his work through his ideas. Piyush Pandey was a simple and humanitarian, he will always be known for his simple, truthful and warm advertisements.

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Pandey started at Ogilvy as a trainee account executive and later moved to the creative side. Before joining Ogilvy & Mather India (now Ogilvy India) in 1982, Pandey worked in cricket, tea tasting, and construction.  He developed campaigns that became landmarks in Indian advertising, including Asian Paints' "Har khushi mein rang laaye," Cadbury's "Kuch Khaas Hai," and Fevicol's "Egg" film.In 2004, Piyush Pandey became the first Asian to serve as jury president at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. 

Pandey was the lyricist of "Mile Sur Mera Tumhara," an Indian song that promoted national integration and unity in diversity. He also co-wrote the screenplay for the film "Bhopal Express."People from the worlds of business, advertising, and politics paid tribute to Piyush Pandey. "Sad that Piyush Pandey  leaves us. He launched Kotak Mahindra Bank with a campaign in 2003,  describing banking  as “common sense”. Amazing out of the box thinker and a humble person. He weaved creativity with an Indian context. Will miss him," Kotak Mahindra Bank Founder Uday Kotak said. Calling Pandey his "dearest friend," author-columnist Suhel Seth said, "India has not lost a just a great advertising mind but a true patriot and a fine fine gentleman. Now the heavens will dance to Mile Sur Mera Tumhara."

He often said that brands are built with magic and not just logic. This philosophy became the cornerstone of his creative approach, prioritising emotional connection over mere product features. 
Not all of Pandey's work was commercial. His "Do Boond Zindagi Ke" (Two drops of life) campaign for India's Pulse Polio programme demonstrated how advertising could drive massive social change.

Launched in the mid-1990s when India registered half of the world's polio cases, the campaign faced a critical challenge: mothers were reluctant to bring children to vaccination camps. Featuring celebrities like Amitabh Bachchan, the campaign's simple yet powerful message turned awareness into action. The campaign became a symbol of hope and action, contributing significantly to India achieving polio-free status by 2014. It demonstrated how narrative-driven advertising rooted in empathy, urgency, and national pride could save lives. 
His marketing secrets included speaking the language of the audience, embracing simplicity, incorporating emotions over logic, and understanding cultural context.