35 Piyush Pandey Quotes and Advertising Nuggets from Pandeymonium

Pandeymonium: Piyush Pandey on Advertising was on my reading list for 2+ years. Picked it from my unread stack, literally, recently. And yes, I loved it. Rarely do we find a book talking about advertising in the Indian context.

Pandeymonium is intended to be a memoir of Piyush Pandey. And it is. It has stories. About Piyush Pandey’s best ads, experiences and work at Ogilvy.

The book is a step-by-step guide to every aspect of advertising for beginners. It’s also a collection of tips and reminders for creative professionals.

Check Pandeymonium on Goodreads

This article is a compilation of quotes by this ad guru Piyush Pandey.

First, a quick Pandeymonium book review

Piyush Pandey’s Pandeymonium isn’t your regular dose of advertising tips. Yes, of course, the book has some... I should say lessons, learned by Piyush over his career as an advertising storyteller. But it’s more of his story.

You’ll come across some of the most nostalgic ad campaigns in India. Piyush Pandey’s Fevicol ad, Cadbury ad, Ponds ad and many more have found their dedicated space in the book.

It’s a fresh take on advertising, something that has been lost in the world of “influencers.” The stories inspire you to try something new in your day-to-day work. Look out for opportunities for experiments, and look out for clients to support those experiments.

Absolutely recommended, for the stories, if not for learnings!

Now, Piyush Pandey quotes to inspire you

1) Every creative person is the result of the environment in which they were brought up.

2) Whatever you say, say it with respect for the audience, say it in a context that the audience can understand, say it spontaneously, say it without fear, and say it not to intimidate or frighten, but to delight.

3) Be careful about selecting the content, be it for a pitch or a client meeting, always ensuring that what you say brings a smile to the recipients.

4) Do not look at how different people are. Look for what’s common.

5) Build a community of friends or people around us who possess different talents.

6) We’re like the musk deer, going far and wide for answers and solutions when, in all likelihood, they’re right next to us.

7) If you’re passionate about a category, it helps. It’s the passion and the involvement that counts in the end. Real passion and real involvement, not pretended and play-acted.

8) Creating communication requires diverse people to come together, to have conversations, debates and arguments – all towards the greater cause of creating great work.

9) Simple communication reaches and touches many more people.

You’ll also like Luke Sullivan’s advertising lessons

10) Don’t let the child in you die. They are the genius. You are not.

11) Our preconceived notions make us label people and slot them into boxes. Much as we try not to do so, we do, and often lose out on opportunities and relationships.

12) The more patient I get, the more I am able to respect the individual behind the client.

13) Stay focused on the challenges of the brief and the client, and you become closer.

14) Understand the systems, processes and rules that you must navigate and manage all of them together. Don’t be scared of them.

15) It’s the systems, processes and general management which allow the creative teams to excel. You circumvent some rules from time to time, but you have to have an agreed plan.

16) Real research is where you pack your bags, get out of your comfort zone and stop by the roadside. It tells you what you can recreate and what you cannot.

17) Music plays a huge role in any form of communication. It’s the very soul of our culture.

Rules:

• The first is not to create music and lyrics that take the brief literally
• The second is never to force music onto the consumer
• The third is not to ‘sing’ brand names.

18) The music in an ad film should not intrude or intimidate. It must live the script and entertain, involve and engage the viewer.

19) When you work with a celebrity, people must find the celebrity, the script and the idea memorable, not just the celebrity.

20) Treat every day as a session at the nets.

Also read these best Ogilvy advertising quotes to inspire you

21) The day you stop getting nervous, the day you think you have arrived, is when the downfall begins.

22) Select your sounding boards carefully. Having those friends is invaluable.

23) The more insecure you’re about your idea, the less you’ll share it, and the less the possibility of a good idea to become great.

24) Unless you find the support, unless you find a believer, you can’t do brave things.

25) Share your ideas with as many people as you know and trust.

26) A great campaign needs the client to push, needs the client to repose confidence in you, for the client to allow you to flirt with the edges, for the client to motivate and encourage you.

27) When you take a risk and match the risk your client is willing to take, both of you have a piece of the upside.

28) A lot of knowledge comes naturally to you. And then what you bring to the party is your wisdom, your ambition, your aspiration, your dream, your experiences, your judgement.

29) If you’re convinced that you’re right, you should stand up for your beliefs. Deal with the situation with sensitivity, tact and confidence.

30) When you’re stuck, search for gold wherever young and old people are.

Also check: Creative Process to Churn up 100+ Headline Ideas

31) Big ideas come from the belief that you can fly; big ideas cannot come when you are shackled by research, by conventional belief, or by the success of the past.

32) It’s extremely important to accept industry changes and equally important to retain your roots. Life isn’t about one or the other; it’s about finding the balance.

33) Stop looking at only short-term targets, and invest in clients for the more distant future.

34) Do not chase awards; chase good work.

35) If the content is interesting, entertaining and thought-provoking, consumers become a distribution arm that amplifies the content by sharing it.

And those were all the quotes from Pandeymonium.

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