New Delhi: The greatest thing about being an artist of the stature of Piyush Pandey is guaranteed immortality. The 70-year-old doyen of Indian advertising passed away this morning after battling an infection.
But Pandey will live on forever in the stories a generation of Indians grew up watching. Here are some of the best ad campaigns designed by Pandey, handpicked by ThePrint reporters.
Kuch Khaas Hai, Dairy Milk
A young woman in the stands is munching on a bar of Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate. Her partner, batting on 99, plays a pull shot. As the ball sails over the boundary, she runs onto the field, dodging a security guard before breaking into a carefree dance. It’s a moment of pure joy as the crowd erupts in celebration.
Pandey’s 1994 ad for Cadbury is still remembered today, and has been recreated almost 30 years after it was first broadcast. The ad was a zeitgeist in itself, helping Cadbury transition from a product made for kids to a staple for the young, romantic, and carefree adult.
Pandey recalls in his memoir that Cadbury’s brief was to get adults to eat chocolate. He drew on his inner child for ideas, and the resulting ad shows just that: chocolate liberating our inner child.
Fevicol ka jod hai
This Fevicol ad didn’t have a single dialogue or a “call to action.” It didn’t even show a bottle of the adhesive or demonstrate its functionality.
It simply depicted a visual Indians are more than familiar with: an overcrowded vehicle with people stuffed together and seemingly falling over each other. The simple disruption was: Maybe they’re all sticking together with the magic of Fevicol.
We see multiple delightful shots of the tiny bus, with people perched on top, wrangling forward through the deserts of Rajasthan. As the bus pulls away, an ad on it confirms: Fevicol, the ultimate adhesive. Poetic.
Fevikwik fish ad
A quirky favourite. In the fish ad, a local outsmarts a seemingly elite-looking man trying to fish in the lake by simply putting Fevikwik on his fishing stick. It’s ridiculous, but gets the point across. The memorable tagline: “Chutki mein chipkaye, Fevikwik (Sticks in a jiffy, Fevikwik)”.
Hutch Pug
This ad made pugs a phenomenon in India, with many households scrambling to buy a “Hutch puppy.”
Pandey found the perfect metaphor for a mobile network in a dog, arguing that Hutch could promise the kind of loyalty only a canine can.
A puppy follows a boy everywhere he goes across a green landscape in Goa, set to the background song: “You and I, in this beautiful world, green grass blue skies, in this beautiful world.”
At the end of the adventurous day, the tagline follows: “Wherever you go, our network follows.”
Pulse Polio – Do Boond Zindagi Ki
Pandey’s simple line, coupled with Amitabh Bachchan’s presence and voice, was instrumental in spreading awareness of the polio vaccine across India.
“Polio jaati aur dharm puchkar toh vaar karta nahi, toh phir kyun apne bacho ki zindagi ke saath khilwad kar rahe hain? (Polio doesn’t attack after asking for caste or religion, so why are you toying with your children’s lives?)” Amitabh Bachchan asks passionately in the ad.
He continues with a passionate appeal: “Desh mein polio ka ek bhi naya case nazar aaya, toh ye hum sab ke liye badi sharam ki baat hai (If even a single new case of polio is seen in the country, it will be a matter of great shame for all of us)”.
Madhya Pradesh Tourism
This campaign is credited with rejuvenating tourism in Madhya Pradesh through poetic storytelling and compelling visuals. In a minute-long ad, Pandey fit major attractions into a folk-rap vibe, while providing visuals of the state in a kaleidoscope. No other state tourism ad comes close.
Googly Woogly Woosh
This ad for Ponds Cold Cream is still the jingle that first comes to mind when one thinks of winters, soft skin, or just wants to pull someone’s cheek and express affection. Gibberish never sounded more apt.
Chal Meri Luna
One of his early works, this ad used a youthful, vernacular voice to position the Luna moped as a simple, affordable mode of transport.
It tells the story of a friendly neighbourhood babu (clerk), drowning in government files, who finds freedom of movement through the affordable and convenient Luna, significantly improving his lifestyle.
Political slogans
Piyush Pandey’s most famous political slogan was “Ab ki Baar, Modi Sarkar” for the Bharatiya Janata Party’s 2014 general election campaign.
The phrase resonated with voters, capturing the mood of a country tired of hearing of scams. The slogan had simplicity and rhythm, designed to be easily repeated and chanted by the masses, successfully crystallising the national mood for change. He also contributed to the equally famous promise: “Ache Din Aane Waale Hain”.
(Edited by Aamaan Alam Khan)