Piyush Pandey, Chief Creative Officer Worldwide and Executive Chairman India at Ogilvy, has passed away at the age of 70.
Pandey began his advertising career with Ogilvy in 1982 as a client servicing executive, working on the detergent brand Sunlight. Six years later, he moved to the creative department, where he went on to develop some of India’s most well-known campaigns for brands such as Fevicol, Cadbury, Asian Paints, Bajaj and Vodafone.
He was recognised with several honours, including the Padma Shri in 2016 and the LIA Legend Award in 2024.
Pandey was known for developing a distinctively Indian voice in advertising, helping the industry move away from a Westernised tone and shaping work that reflected the country’s language, culture and emotion.
Some of his well-known campaigns include:
• Fevikwik and Fevicol – “Todo Nahi, Jodo”, Fevicol sofa, and the “bus stuck with Fevicol” advertisement
• Ponds – “Googly Woogly Woosh!!”
• Cadbury Dairy Milk – “Kuch Khaas Hai”
• Vodafone – ZooZoo
• Asian Paints – “Har Ghar Kuch Kehta Hai”
• Bajaj – “Hamara Bajaj”
He also worked on political advertising, including the BJP’s 2014 campaign with the tagline “Abki Baar Modi Sarkar”, and collaborated with Amitabh Bachchan on the Polio Abhiyaan.
Pandey’s work remains noted for its simplicity, cultural grounding and focus on storytelling in Indian advertising.
