(MENAFN- Live Mint) Piyush Pandey, India's advertising legend, breathed his last on Friday after battling an infection.“Fevicol ka jod toot gaya” (The world lost its glue today), messages of condolence have flooded in for the man who is also known for giving India's most famous political slogan -“Ab ki baar, Modi Sarkar.” Prime Minister Narendra Modi was among the first to offer his condolences and penned an emotional note for the advertising executive.

“Shri Piyush Pandey Ji was admired for his creativity. He made a monumental contribution to the world of advertising and communications. I will fondly cherish our interactions over the years. Saddened by his passing. My thoughts are with his family and admirers. Om Shanti,” PM Modi wrote.

The Padma Shri awardee was behind prominent marketing campaigns for Fevicol, Cadbury, Asian Paints, and many other brands.

From political campaigns to iconic ads

Back in 2019, during an interview with CNBC, Pandey recalled how he was initially hesitant to work for Narendra Modi on his prime ministerial campaign for the 2014 polls, as he had“never worked for a political party.”

Also Read | Piyush Pandey, architect of Indian advertising, passes away at 70

“We'd never worked for a political party and openly stated that we don't. And then we did.” The change of heart came because of their previous relationship.“I met the man, I said (this is) a person who knows what he wants. And a person who is willing to listen... I had no way of saying no,” Pandey had said.

He further shared that he had first met Modi when he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat to work on a tourism campaign.“I got to know the man a lot before he became the Prime Minister and (he is) a very knowledgeable man, never used a piece of paper,” Pandey told CNBC.

Pandey was allotted 20 minutes with Prime Minister Modi to go over seven destinations across Gujarat.“But after 45 to 50 minutes, he was still walking me through the first destination,” he recalled.“He knew the place inside out.”

Their discussion eventually stretched to five or six hours.“At times, Modi admitted, 'You're right. I talk too much, but you have to condense it into a 60-second ad.' I told him, 'Keep talking - you're paying me to pick out the key nuggets of information,'” Pandey added.

Pandey's brief was to create a campaign that focused on Modi himself rather than the BJP, and one that was easily understandable.“They knew the market, we knew the language... The success of the campaign... was because of people speak. There was not one word which was party speak, it was common words that a common man uses on the street.” This is also the case with Modi's“Modi hai to mumkin hai,” or“Modi makes it possible,” the slogan used ahead of his re-election in May, Pandey said.

Also Read | Piyush Pandey: The man who gave India its most unforgettable ads

Surprisingly, few know that former US President Donald Trump's 2016 Hindi campaign slogan,“Ab ki baar Trump Sarkar,”* was inspired by a famous Indian political tagline. The original - "Ab ki baar Modi Sarkar” - was conceived by Pandey, the creative force behind the BJP's campaign crafted by Soho Square, a division of Ogilvy.

A legacy spanning advertising, film and music

Piyush Pandey, who had dedicated nearly four decades to the advertising industry, served as Chief Creative Officer Worldwide and Executive Chairman India at Ogilvy. He joined the agency in 1982, penning his first advertisement for Sunlight Detergent, and went on to create some of India's most iconic campaigns for brands such as Fevicol, Cadbury, Ponds, Vodafone, and Asian Paints.

Also Read | Piyush Pandey moves into advisory role at Ogilvy India: Report

Beyond advertising, Pandey made his acting debut in 2013 with John Abraham's Madras Cafe and appeared in ICICI Bank's marketing campaign, the Magic Pencil Project Videos. He also contributed creatively to music and film, writing the lyrics for the patriotic song Mile Sur Mera Tumhara, which promoted national integration, and co-writing the screenplay for Bhopal Express.

In recognition of his outstanding contribution to advertising, Pandey was awarded the Padma Shri in 2016.

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