Mumbai: Piyush Pandey made generations fall in love with brands like Asian Paints, Cadbury, and Fevicol — but for many in the industry, the brand they admired most was Piyush Pandey himself.
Recalling his time at Ogilvy, Deepan Ramachandran, Founder of Mind Your Language and former Ogilvy creative, shared how Pandey’s presence transcended geography and hierarchy. “Our Chennai office never had the fortune of hearing his famous laughter every day, but he was our jewel in the crown — the Ferrari keychain we had to the Ferrari we could never own,” he wrote.
Deepan recounted three cherished encounters with Pandey — each leaving an indelible mark. The first, at Tere Mere Beach Mein, a WPP event in Goa celebrating Vodafone’s creative success, where Pandey’s infectious laughter and encouragement gave a young creative team confidence that would last a lifetime.
The second, during a high-stakes pitch with GMR in Bengaluru, revealed Pandey’s grounded wisdom. “He noticed that the client hadn’t checked his phone even once in two hours and said, ‘I’d like to work with this brand for that one reason.’ It was a powerful lesson in respect and relationships,” Deepan remembered.
The third was an unforgettable moment at the ENVIES, Ogilvy’s in-house award night. As the evening turned celebratory, Pandey took the stage with his trademark wit and warmth, announcing, “Considering all of us are having a lot of fun, I want to make tomorrow a holiday for Ogilvy Mumbai!” The room erupted — it was a moment that summed up his spontaneous leadership and larger-than-life spirit.
Reflecting on Pandey’s legacy, Deepan wrote, “Piyush brought India into Indian advertising. His work, born from the streets and souls of this country, gave our industry its rightful flavor. If Mind Your Language helps brands connect to South India today, the ‘pillayaar suzhi’ was drawn by Piyush decades ago.”
He concluded with a quiet farewell that captures the sentiment of an entire industry, “During my days at Ogilvy, whenever a beautiful film came out, there was always one whisper — ‘Must be Piyush’s idea.’ It won’t be heard anymore. Rest well, Mr. Piyush Pandey.”
