Advertising icon and creative legend Piyush Pandey passed away at the age of 70 on October 24. The Chief Creative Officer Worldwide and the Executive Chairman India of Ogilvy, Piyush Pandey, was a towering figure in the advertising industry with several accolades to his name as well.
With many notable contributions to advertising, Piyush Pandey was also involved in the creation of the IPL’s (Indian Premier League) first-ever campaign. In an interview back in 2019, Piyush Pandey talked about the inception story of the IPL and how the tournament came into being.
It is worth noting that, according to the late Piyush Pandey, the legend had stated that he was a part of the team that wrote the first draft of a proposal that 13 years later would go on to become the sensation called ‘IPL’. Lalit Modi, back in 1995, had called up Arun Lal, Amrit Mathur, and him to write a proposal for an NBA-like cricket league in India.
At the time, the idea was rejected by the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India), but when Lalit Modi became the vice president of the BCCI, the idea was kick-started again.
What was IPL’s first-ever campaign, ‘Karmayudh’?
With the start of the IPL imminent, Piyush Pandey was the main man behind producing the lines, visuals, and music for the ad film Karmayudh. The campaign ended up being incredibly successful, just like the maiden edition of the IPL, which continues to endear fans even 18 years after its inception.
A major part of the IPL’s early branding and popularity could be credited to Piyush Pandey, who will forever be embellished as one of the all-time greats in the advertising industry.
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