Advertising industry veteran, Piyush Pandey, passed away on Friday (October 24, 2025) in Mumbai owing to illness. He was 70.
Mr. Pandey is survived by his wife and a large family. His funeral is scheduled at 10.30 a.m. on Saturday (October 25) at the Shivaji Park crematorium in Dadar.
The former Chief Creative Officer, Worldwide and Executive Chairman of Ogilvy India, Mr. Pandey was known for breaking the dominance of Western influences in India advertising by popularising Hindi in ad films and taglines which caught the fancy of the masses.
He was credited with blockbuster ad campaigns like that of the bus ride ad for Fevicol, fish catching ad for Fevikwik, Pug and ZooZoos campaigns for Vodafone, Har Ghar Kuch Kehta Hay campaign for Asian Paints, Kuch Khass Hay for Cadbury, Chal Meri Luna for Kinetic and also the Abki Baar Modi Sarkar ad campaign for BJP, among several others.
Born in Jaipur in 1955, Mr. Pandey completed his schooling in the city and moved to New Delhi where he did his post graduation at St. Stephen’s College.
Moving to Mumbai in the early 1980s was a pivotal point that transformed his life. Encouraged by a friend who recognised his talent, he made the shift into advertising and joined Ogilvy Mumbai as a trainee account executive in 1982. While working in client servicing, he would write taglines on the sly. His first was for Sunlight Detergent Powder, a Unilever brand.
Six years later, his talent was rewarded, and he was officially moved over to the creative department and then he moved through the ranks. In the past four decades, he had consistently delivered groundbreaking campaigns that have not only captured the attention of millions but have also touched the hearts of people across the globe.
“His ability to seamlessly blend culture, storytelling, and brand messaging has resulted in advertising campaigns that are not just memorable but have become part of popular culture,” according to Ogilvy.
“What makes Piyush different is the perspective from which he views the same things you’ve seen, his ability to store all that he sees into some recesses of his brain and then retrieve them at short notice when he needs to. That ability combined with his love, passion, and understanding of advertising and of consumers, make him the master storyteller that he is,” the agency describes him.
He had entered the industry at a time when Indian advertising was shaped largely by Western ideas and aesthetics. He religiously worked towards–and has been largely credited for–bringing an everyday Indian sensibility to advertising.
The Advertising Hall of Fame Class of 2024 nomination has been made for Mr Pandey. He had won over 1,000 awards over the span of his illustrious 40-year career.
Under him Ogilvy became India’s top ad agency and earned a prime position in creativity . He was the first jury President from Asia for the Cannes Lions Festival.
In his trademark moustache Mr, Pandey was always jovial, warm and spoke his mind without fear.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on X said, “Piyush Pandey Ji was admired for his creativity. He made a monumental contribution to the world of advertising and communications. I will fondly cherish our interactions over the years. Saddened by his passing away. My thoughts are with his family and admirers.”
Remembering his advertisement industry veteran Prahlad Kakar said, “Piyush will always be immortal for changing an English speaking and English dreaming profession to a Hindi dreaming and Hindi and vernacular writing one. He held his ground and created magic in his mother tongue.”
“Not that he was lacking in English skills, he was an alumni of the St Stephane College in Delhi, and had a remarkable turn of phrase in that language as well. Piyush claimed that his real education in life came from playing Ranji Trophy cricket for Rajasthan and having travelled 3rd class unreserved, through the length and breath of the country, watching and interacting with the heartland firsthand,” he added.
“Piyush Pandey’s humility, honesty, humour and the complete trust he had in me will stay with me always. He treated me as an equal. Piyush seldom ‘talked down’ to colleagues, or for that matter, anyone,” said Lorraine Martin, former Head of Corporate Communications at Ogilvy India recalling Mr. Pandey.
“Someone once said, ‘to add value to others, one must first value others’, and this was Piyush. He was an exemplary leader. I consider myself blessed to have had the privilege to work closely with him for almost 3 decades,” she said.
“He selflessly built and created leaders who he was confident would carry on his legacy. He created countless unforgettable accolades and milestones for Ogilvy in India and Worldwide,” she added.
“Piyush always said to me, “If I don’t retire, you cannot retire.” And as it turns out, I retired at the end of June this year and now it seems his words have come to pass. The loss of Piyush is huge and there aren’t enough words to spell the impact of his passing away on many of us and on the industry,” she further said.
Ogilvy India in a statement 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 in 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!’ it added.
Published – October 24, 2025 10:50 am IST
