Eyes open, ears to the ground, and a heart which is willing to accept: Piyush Pandey on Human Behind The Marketer

In this episode of Team Pumpkin presents 'Human Behind The Marketer' created by Punctuate Inc, Founder Saloni Surti interviews Piyush Pandey, Chief Advisor, Ogilvy India. 

In the interview, Pandey candidly shares inside stories from the making of some of the country’s most iconic campaigns. He talks about his career, his journey since childhood, and his experiences working with clients such as Mondelez, Pedilite, and Asian Paints. 

Sharing thoughts on his creative prowess and how he finds inspiration, he says that one should always observe and have a keen eye for things around them. He shares that the inspiration for the Fevicol bus campaign wasn't something imaginary and that he had observed something similar happen in real life in Jaisalmer. 

“Eyes open, ears to the ground, and a heart which is willing to accept,” the maestro says, sharing his mantra. 

Sharing additional advice he says that brand managers are not salespersons and advises them to focus on converting the product into a brand. “The emotional side of a product is the brand,” he remarks.  

Talking about his switch from cricket to tea tasting to ultimately joining advertising, the adman says that one should know when it’s time to quit something if you are not doing well in it. “Once you know that you are pushing yourself too much (in a particular field/career) but are not able to enjoy it because you are not doing well, that’s the time to think whether you’ll be able to continue it for long or should you get out of it? You give it your best shot, but at some point, you’ll have to draw a line,” he remarks.  

Further in the interview, Pandey talks about how he tackles creative blocks and shares his thoughts on why older campaigns used to make a mark in the collective memory and why campaigns nowadays do not. He also sheds light on the use of technology and how its extensive use is leading to a lack of thought in campaigns.    

Pandey also shares anecdotes from his childhood and how those shaped him as a person and instilled creativity. 

Watch the full episode and dig deeper into the world of India’s adman: