The Piyush Pandey ads that made him ‘Father of Indian Advertising’

The Piyush Pandey ads were an art of storytelling in a minute or less, before Instagram reels became a thing.

“Kuchh khaas hai… Zindagi mein”, goes the catchline of Cadbury Dairy Milk's iconic ad where a girl runs onto a cricket field after her partner's winning shot. That perhaps best describes Piyush Pandey, for his ads were something special — a celebration of life.

Adman Piyush Pandey has died at the age of 70. (Livemint)

Piyush Pandey, often called the ‘Father of Indian Advertising’, has died at the age of 70, leaving behind a legacy of ads that spoke the language of the people and not the agency he worked at. Piyush Pandey's ads, which sold emotions and identity, are now a benchmark for Indian advertising.

From“Har Ghar Kuchh Kehta Hai” to “You and I, in this Beautiful World” and “Abki Baar, Modi Sarkaar”, here's a look at his iconic ad campaigns through the years.

1. Fevicol — “Yeh Fevicol ka jod hai, tutega nahi”

Pandey made three iconic ads for Pidilite Industries Ltd.:

• The Fevicol bus ad: An overcrowded bus on a rural road doesn't break down or spill over its passengers hanging on for dear life because it has a ‘Fevicol - The Ultimate Adhesive’ ad on the back.

• The Fevicol egg ad: A hen lays an unbreakable egg as she was “feeding” from a Fevicol tin, much to the astonishment of the guy who was trying to make an omelette.

• The FeviKwik fishing ad: A local fisherman uses a stick laced with FeviKwik to catch fish instantly while a hobbyist looks on, with little success.

2. Cadbury Dairy Milk — “Kuchh khaas hai… Zindagi mein”

A woman runs onto a cricket field, an oversized bar of chocolate in hand, dancing with joy after her partner scores the winning runs. The ad was hailed for “breaking gender norms”, so much so that Ogilvy — where Pandey worked — rebooted it in 2021 with the roles reversed. It redefined chocolate ads in India—the confectionery is a treat for all ages, and not just children.

3. Pulse Polio — “Do Boond Zindagi Ke”

Pandey's work at Ogilvy went beyond the corporate to public service — the most notable among them was the Pulse Polio campaign with actor Amitabh Bachchan. The emotional storytelling in simple Hindi — “do boond Zindagi ke” — resulted in a massive reach, so much so that India became polio-free.

4. Asian Paints — “Har Ghar Kuchh Kehta Hai”

“Watching paint dry” took a different meaning under Pandey, for he gave an emotional spin to a task as mundane as painting a house with the belief that every home has a story to tell.

5. Vodafone Hutch — “You and I, in this Beautiful World”

The ad that introduced Indians to a new breed of dogs, so much so that the pug was initially called the “Hutch dog”.

The pug following a boy everywhere symbolised Hutch's network reliability — like the man's best friend, “wherever you go, our network follows”. This was before Vodafone officially entered India by buying out Hutchinson Essar's stake in its joint venture.

“…what I will remember most is not the campaigns he crafted or the brands he built, but his hearty laugh and his irrepressible zest for life,” Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra wrote on X, formely Twitter. “He reminded us that even in the serious business of persuasion, joy and humanity must never be forgotten.”

Piyush Pandey's ads were witty, emotionally real and in a language that was simple to understand. It was Indian in premise and authentic in its depiction of India. His ads had mass appeal with a sophistication about them—it was storytelling in a minute or less, before Instagram reels became a thing.