Advertising icon Piyush Pandey, the creative force behind some of India’s most memorable campaigns for Fevicol, Cadbury, Asian Paints, and many others, passed away on Friday at the age of 70 after battling an infection. His last rites will be held on Saturday.

Widely regarded as the face of Indian advertising, Pandey spent over four decades at Ogilvy, where he served as Chief Creative Officer Worldwide and Executive Chairman, India. Joining the firm in 1982, he began by writing ads for Sunlight Detergent before revolutionizing brand storytelling with his uniquely Indian touch, humor, and emotional resonance. Under his leadership, Ogilvy India topped The Economic Times’ Agency Reckoner for 12 consecutive years.

A recipient of the Padma Shri in 2016, Pandey also explored cinema and music—appearing in Madras Café, penning “Mile Sur Mera Tumhara,” and co-writing Bhopal Express.

Tributes poured in from across industries. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman hailed him as a “titan and legend of Indian advertising,” while Uday Kotak remembered him as “a humble, out-of-the-box thinker” who launched Kotak Mahindra Bank with a campaign rooted in “common sense.”

Advertising icon Piyush Pandey, the creative force behind some of India’s most memorable campaigns for Fevicol, Cadbury, Asian Paints, and many others, passed away on Friday at the age of 70 after battling an infection. His last rites will be held on Saturday.

Widely regarded as the face of Indian advertising, Pandey spent over four decades at Ogilvy, where he served as Chief Creative Officer Worldwide and Executive Chairman, India. Joining the firm in 1982, he began by writing ads for Sunlight Detergent before revolutionizing brand storytelling with his uniquely Indian touch, humor, and emotional resonance. Under his leadership, Ogilvy India topped The Economic Times’ Agency Reckoner for 12 consecutive years.

A recipient of the Padma Shri in 2016, Pandey also explored cinema and music—appearing in Madras Café, penning “Mile Sur Mera Tumhara,” and co-writing Bhopal Express.

Tributes poured in from across industries. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman hailed him as a “titan and legend of Indian advertising,” while Uday Kotak remembered him as “a humble, out-of-the-box thinker” who launched Kotak Mahindra Bank with a campaign rooted in “common sense.”