Piyush Pandey and the making of India’s advertising identity

New Delhi: When India learnt to laugh, cry, and even think in 30 seconds, chances are Piyush Pandey was behind it. The man with the twinkling eyes, the unmistakable moustache, and a voice like monsoon thunder has left the world quieter today. But his words, visuals, and wit will echo in every ad that ever made us smile.

For more than four decades, Pandey didn’t just make ads. He created moments, small, relatable, deeply Indian moments that stitched together our collective memory. His work was never about selling; it was about feeling.

He taught brands how to talk like people, in a voice that sounded less like marketing and more like life itself. From a joyful child selling chocolates to a nation united in pride, every campaign that bore his touch carried his signature blend of humour, heart, and Hindustani honesty.

His campaigns turned ordinary Indian life into something extraordinary. And in doing so, he gave a country its own language of advertising, one that didn’t imitate the West but reflected the best of us.
The sweet sound of celebration

When Cadbury Dairy Milk released its iconic “Kuch Meetha Ho Jaaye” ad, India smiled. A young woman, unable to hold back her joy, dances onto a cricket field as her boyfriend hits the winning shot. There is no fancy set or heavy product messaging. Only pure happiness.

Piyush captured the Indian way of celebrating success: not with champagne, but with sweets. He turned Cadbury into an emotion. It wasn’t just chocolate anymore, it was a symbol of joy, victory and togetherness. That single campaign changed how Indians viewed chocolate, and it still plays in our memories decades later.

He later followed it up with “Asli Swad Zindagi Ka,” another Cadbury line that reminded us to enjoy life’s small, sweet moments. Through these campaigns, Piyush didn’t sell a brand; he sold a feeling of being Indian and feeling alive.

When glue became a mirror of India

Fevicol, a simple adhesive brand, became one of the most loved and longest-running advertising stories in India, all thanks to Piyush Pandey. The humour, the everyday situations, the people, every Fevicol ad felt like a page from Indian life.

In one ad, a crowded bus travels through bumpy roads but no one falls off because everything is stuck with Fevicol. In another, villagers build things so strong they cannot be broken. Each ad had that same message: “Fevicol ka mazboot jod hai, tootega nahin.”

But beyond the humour was something deeper, Fevicol represented India’s spirit. A country that holds together despite its chaos, languages and diversity. Piyush turned a glue ad into a social metaphor. That’s what made him special. His work spoke of who we are as a people.

A storyteller of small towns

Long before marketing experts began using the term “Bharat,” Piyush Pandey was already speaking to that India, the one outside metros. He celebrated Indian middle-class values, small-town charm, and the poetry hidden in everyday life.

His ads for Asian Paints, for example, didn’t just sell paint; they sold memories. “Har Ghar Kuch Kehta Hai” told us that every home tells a story of love, time, and relationships. It made people cry not because of the product, but because of what it meant.

Piyush had an instinct for turning simple truths into powerful emotions. He once said that great advertising doesn’t come from air-conditioned rooms, it comes from observing life around you. That’s why his India felt so real: it came from the heart, not the marketing manual.

‘Do Boond Zindagi Ki’

Not all his great work was for brands. Some of it was for India itself. The government’s Pulse Polio campaign needed urgency and trust, and Pandey found both. He crafted the now-iconic line “Do Boond Zindagi Ki” and brought Amitabh Bachchan’s powerful voice to every household.

This wasn’t advertising for awareness; it was advertising for action. It moved an entire nation to vaccinate its children, one reminder at a time. When India was declared polio-free, Piyush Pandey’s creativity had played a quiet but historic role.

When emotion met technology

Even in the digital age, Pandey remained timeless. The 2013 Google India film “Reunion,” about two childhood friends separated by Partition and reunited decades later through a Google search, proved it.

It was subtle, emotional, and deeply human. In three and a half minutes, he captured nostalgia, loss, and hope. The ad crossed borders and languages, just like the friendship it portrayed. If Fevicol showed his humour, “Reunion” showed his heart.

Simplicity that travelled the world

Then came the white, balloon-headed creatures that changed IPL advertising forever. The ZooZoos were funny, universal, and wordless. Pandey and his Ogilvy team created them to cut through the clutter, and they did it spectacularly.

Children adored them, adults quoted them, and brands envied them. They proved that creativity didn’t need big stars or big words, just big imagination.

The man who made India believe in itself

Piyush Pandey didn’t create Indian advertising; he Indianised it. Before him, ads tried to sound global. After him, they proudly spoke local. He gave the Indian consumer respect and the Indian creative community confidence.

His work was never about perfection; it was about truth. He found poetry in pickle jars, wisdom at bus stops, and pride in mother tongues.

Today, as the industry mourns its biggest loss, it also celebrates its loudest laugh and its most loving heart. Piyush Pandey’s legacy isn’t in awards or titles. It lives in the way India sees itself on screen, warm, flawed, funny, and real.

Because in the end, Piyush Pandey didn’t just make ads for India. He made India advertise itself.