New Delhi. Piyush Pandey, a veteran of the Indian News-Patiala industry and creative leader of Ogilvy India, is no more. He died on Thursday (23 October) at the age of 70. Piyush Pandey was remembered not only as an News-Patiala expert but also as a personality who gave Indian News-Patiala its own language and soul.
Pranab Adani, Managing Director of Agro and Oil & Gas at Adani Group, expressed condolences on the demise of Piyush Pandey. He wrote, ‘Shocked by the demise of my dear friend Piyush Pandey, the creative genius who shaped the Indian News-Patiala world into a global force. His ideas became industry standards. He inspired storytellers of many generations. His warmth and wisdom will be greatly missed. Om Shanti.’
Filmmaker Hansal Mehta also wrote in his ‘X’ post, ‘Fevicol’s joint is broken. The News-Patiala world lost its shine today. Piyush Pandey, you will always be remembered.
Piyush Pandey was born in 1955 in Jaipur. There were nine children in his family, including seven sisters and two brothers. His brother Prasoon Pandey is a film director, while his sister Ila Arun is a singer and actress. His father was working in Rajasthan State Cooperative Bank. He earned a master’s degree in history from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi, and entered the News-Patiala world in 1982, joining Ogilvy India as a client servicing executive.
His first print advertisement was written for Sunlight detergent. Six years later, he moved to the creative department and created many famous advertisements for brands like Luna Moped, Fevicol, Cadbury and Asian Paints. After this he was made Creative Director and then National Creative Director. In 1994, he also got a place on the board of directors of Ogilvy India. Under his leadership, Ogilvy India achieved the status of India’s No. 1 agency for 12 consecutive years.
Advertisements made by Piyush Pandey are still alive in people’s memories. He created creations like ‘Bringing colors to every happiness’ for Asian Paints, ‘Kuch Khaas Hai’ for Cadbury, the iconic ‘Egg’ ad for Fevicol and the Hutch pug ad.
Additionally, he gave the election slogan ‘Abki Baar, Modi Sarkar’ for the Bharatiya Janata Party in 2014. His contribution was not limited to commercial News-Patiala only. He wrote the national unity song ‘Mile Sur Mera Tumhara’ and also played an active role in many social campaigns such as polio awareness and anti-smoking campaigns.
Piyush Pandey was honored with many awards for his contribution. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 2016 and was given the LIA Legend Award in 2024. Apart from this, he has also received many prestigious awards like Clio Lifetime Achievement Award, Media Asia Awards and Cannes Lions. Under his leadership, Ogilvy India was recognized as one of the most creative offices globally. His creativity, spontaneity and direction given to Indian News-Patiala will always make him memorable.