The advertising legend and former global chief creative officer of Ogilvy India passed away on 24 October 2025 in Mumbai. Known as the ‘Father of Indian advertising,’ Pandey’s journey has been a masterclass in how storytelling rooted in heart and humour can move a billion people. Not only did he break the dominance of Western influences in Indian advertising by popularising Hindi in ad films, but he also turned advertising into a cultural conversation and campaigns into folklore. He didn’t sell products; he sold feelings. In an industry increasingly obsessed with trends, tech, and AI, his legacy stands as a reminder that the most powerful brand asset will always be the human emotion. And so we must ask: With his passing, are we witnessing the end of an era - and perhaps the end of advertising as we once knew it?

Prasoon Joshi,  chairperson - APAC, McCann Worldgroup, CEO and CCO, McCann India (to be chairperson, Omnicom Advertising India)

Piyush made advertising feel like life — full of people, laughter and an unapologetically Indian heartbeat.

He showed us that if you stay real and listen to everyday India, the work finds its own magic.

I am confident that this legacy will be carried by many in our industry and that will be a true tribute to him.

Sonal Dabral, creative consultant and film director

Advertising evolves with every shift in culture, technology, and attention — so change is inevitable. But the one thing that shouldn’t change is the power of a good story. Storytelling doesn’t die; it simply adapts to new mediums and new realities. The world may move toward trends, tech, data, and AI, but emotion remains the oldest — and still the most effective — branding tool we have.

What does worry me, though, is that many large agencies and big brands today seem too consumed by performance metrics, dashboards, and quarterly targets. In chasing efficiency, we often lose the magic. The strongest business results in the history of advertising have come from unforgettable ideas, not forgettable optimisation. Piyush’s body of work is proof of that.

Thankfully, there are still pockets of real storytelling energy in the industry, especially among the smaller, hungrier teams. Agencies like Enormous, Sideways, Talented, Moonshot — and if I may add, at my own consultancy, Tribha — we continue to believe in stories that move people and, in turn, move markets.

Piyush’s passing doesn’t mark the end of an era. It’s a reminder of the values the next era must be built on. As long as we stay rooted in human truths, humour, and heart, the spirit he championed will continue to shape the future of advertising.

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