Piyush Pandey passed away at the age of 70. He was known for his legacy of iconic ad campaigns. The advertising legend gave India some of the most memorable campaigns, including ones for Fevicol, Cadbury,
the polio vaccine, and others. Throughout his career, Pandey collaborated with veteran actorAmitabh Bachchan multiple times. Did you know? For his ad campaign for the polio vaccine, Big B agreed to do it for free.
In his book Pandeymonium: Piyush Pandey On Advertising, Pandey shared that Big B did the campaign for free as it was a government initiative. Recalling how he had an idea to pull off a great campaign with Big B’s character of the “angry young man,” Pandey shared, “I rushed to Mr. Bachchan and said, ‘Sir, everyone calls you the symbol of the Angry Young Man because of your roles in your earlier super-hit films. How about you playing the Angry Old Man in this campaign?’ He loved the idea.”
Pandey further shared that it was a shock for the bureaucrats when he shared the idea with them and recalled, “They fell off their chair and asked, ‘How can Mr. Bachchan shout at people?’ I replied, ‘Of course, he can and should. He is going to do it like a dad who is upset with his child. There is love behind the anger,’” he recalled. He also made it a point to tell them, “Mr. Bachchan said it would be impactful.” And they instantly agreed.
Piyush, in a chat with NEWS9 Live, shared that the campaign made many people take their children for vaccination as they didn’t want to anger Big B further. He said, “That entire polio campaign was him firing at people, ‘Dhikkar hai ki tum kal polio ke booth pe nahi aaye. Bachche ki jaan se khel rahe ho. (Shame on you that you didn’t show up at the polio booth. You are playing with your child’s life).’ So that was the tone. When there was great attendance at the booths, he would say in the next one, ‘Shabash, come on.’”
About Piyush Pandey
Pandey began his advertising career in 1982 with Ogilvy & Mather India (now Ogilvy India) as a trainee account executive before transitioning to the creative department.
Over the years, he rose through the ranks to hold some of the agency’s top leadership roles, including National Creative Director, Executive Chairman (India), and Global Chief Creative Officer.
At 27, Pandey entered an ad world dominated by English — and changed it forever. His work for brands like Asian Paints (“Har khushi mein rang laaye”), Cadbury (“Kuch Khaas Hai”), Fevicol, and Hutch turned advertisements into cultural touchstones.
