Your personal brand already exists. The only question is— are you shaping it, or is the internet doing it for you? In the digital age, your name is no longer just an identity. It is a search result, a first impression, and often a deciding factor in opportunities—jobs, collaborations, speaking invites, clients, and credibility. Building a personal brand today is not about being famous. It is about being clear, consistent, and trusted . Let’s break down how you can intentionally create your personal brand in a world driven by algorithms, attention, and authenticity. 1. Start With Clarity, Not Content Most people make the mistake of starting with posting. The right place to start is positioning . Ask yourself: What do I want to be known for? Who do I want to help or influence? What problems can I genuinely solve? Your personal brand should sit at the intersection of: Your skills Your experiences Your interests Clarity comes before visibility. Without it, ...
When I first heard the news of Piyush Pandey’s passing, I felt a strange silence inside me — the kind that comes when you realize an era has truly ended. For me, and for so many marketers, he wasn’t just a creative genius; he was the soul of Indian advertising.
Over the years, I’ve studied hundreds of campaigns, from global brands to local startups. But every time I think of what made Indian advertising truly Indian, one name stands out — Piyush Pandey. His work wasn’t about flashy visuals or celebrity endorsements. It was about people, emotions, and everyday life. It was about us.
The Storyteller Who Spoke India’s Language
Piyush Pandey’s magic lay in his ability to find stories in the simplest corners of life — the chai stall, the crowded bus, the festival laughter, the mother’s scolding. He didn’t just sell products; he celebrated people.
Think about Fevicol’s “Bus Ad” — a bunch of villagers crammed together, yet no one falls off. Simple, humorous, unforgettable. That’s India in a frame. Or the Cadbury Dairy Milk ad where a young girl breaks into a dance on a cricket field — joy so pure it still brings a smile decades later.
He never created ads that “looked like ads.” He created stories that felt like home.
Emotion Over English, Culture Over Convention
In a world that once measured creativity by how “western” it sounded, Piyush Pandey brought us back to our roots. He wasn’t afraid of colloquial Hindi, of local dialects, of simplicity.
His ads didn’t talk down to people — they spoke with them. Whether it was the earthy humor of Fevicol, the warmth of Asian Paints, or the emotional depth of the Pulse Polio campaign with Amitabh Bachchan, his work carried a heartbeat that connected across generations.
As he often said, “India is full of stories — you just need to listen.”
Lessons for Every Modern Marketer
Even in today’s AI-driven, data-fueled marketing landscape, the lessons from Piyush Pandey’s work are timeless:
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Emotion will always outperform logic.
No matter how advanced the tools get, humans connect through feelings — not features. -
Culture is your biggest creative asset.
Great marketing doesn’t imitate global trends; it reflects local truths. -
Simplicity is sophistication.
In every Fevicol, Cadbury, or Asian Paints ad, there’s a simplicity that makes the message last forever. -
Authenticity is irreplaceable.
Pandey never forced a story. His characters, accents, and moments felt real because they were real.
I often tell my students and clients — “If you can make people feel, you can make them buy.”
And that truth, I learned from Piyush Pandey’s legacy.
A Legacy That Will Never Break
It’s poetic, really — that the man who gave us “Fevicol ka jod hai, tootega nahi” has left behind a legacy that will never break. His work glued together generations of Indians — reminding us that the most powerful stories come not from boardrooms, but from the streets, homes, and hearts of people.
As I look back at the many campaigns that defined my own journey as a marketer, I realize that somewhere, consciously or not, we’re all trying to chase that same honesty, that same connection, that same magic he brought to every frame.
Piyush Pandey didn’t just make ads.
He made India smile.
Thank you, Sir — for showing us that creativity doesn’t need translation; it just needs truth.