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Pandeymonium
What makes Piyush Pandey an extraordinary advertising man, friend, partner and leader of men? How does he manage to exude childlike enthusiasm, and bring such deep commitment to his work?
You’ve seen most of the things that Piyush Pandey has seen in his life. You’ve seen cobblers, carpenters, cricketers, trains, villages, towns and cities. What makes Piyush different is the perspective from which he views the same things you’ve seen, his ability to store all that he sees into some recesses of his brain and then retrieve them at short notice when he needs to. That ability combined with his love, passion and understanding of advertising and of consumers make him the master storyteller that he is.
In Pandeymonium, Piyush talks about his influences, right from his childhood in Jaipur and being a Ranji cricketer, to his philosophy, failures and lessons in advertising in particular and life in general. Lucid, inspiring and unputdownable, this memoir gives you an inside peek into the mind and creative genius of the man who defines advertising in India.
You’ve seen most of the things that Piyush Pandey has seen in his life. You’ve seen cobblers, carpenters, cricketers, trains, villages, towns and cities. What makes Piyush different is the perspective from which he views the same things you’ve seen, his ability to store all that he sees into some recesses of his brain and then retrieve them at short notice when he needs to. That ability combined with his love, passion and understanding of advertising and of consumers make him the master storyteller that he is.
In Pandeymonium, Piyush talks about his influences, right from his childhood in Jaipur and being a Ranji cricketer, to his philosophy, failures and lessons in advertising in particular and life in general. Lucid, inspiring and unputdownable, this memoir gives you an inside peek into the mind and creative genius of the man who defines advertising in India.
265 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 14, 2015
143 people are currently reading
1148 people want to read
About the author
Piyush Pandey
46 books19 followersPiyush Pandey is the Executive Chairman and Creative Director for Ogilvy & Mather India and South Asia, and the winner of over 600 awards for advertising from all over the world. Born in Jaipur, India,Pandey did his schooling from St. Xavier’s School, Jaipur, and obtained his master’s from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi. He is passionate about cricket, having played in the RanjiTrophy, India’s premier domestic cricket tourney, representing Rajasthan, the state where he was born. His first job was as a tea taster, before he joined Ogilvy in 1982 as Trainee Account Executive.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 200 reviews
October 1, 2016
This is for only those, who loved Ogilvy advertisements - Fevicol, Cadbury, Mentos, IPL, Vodafone etc.
It was very simple read and serenely described. I loved the entire book except last 5-6 chapters which I found of no use for me.
Read if you know about Piyush Pandey or grown up watching 90's DoorDarshan ads.
It was very simple read and serenely described. I loved the entire book except last 5-6 chapters which I found of no use for me.
Read if you know about Piyush Pandey or grown up watching 90's DoorDarshan ads.
March 22, 2017
Poor storytelling from someone who is considered a master of Indian advertising!! No pressures, no heart breaks, he fails to carry you with him thru his high and low points. The story sounds almost like a rambling of someone who considers himself a 'guru'... and since he would feel embarrassed to take all the credit himself... He makes sure he distributes the goodies of praise to all his team mates.
Will certainly NOT recommend it for seasoned readers!!
Will certainly NOT recommend it for seasoned readers!!
November 17, 2015
Are you a reader who enjoys books overloaded with jargon and industry statistics? If yes, Pandeymonium is not for you. However, if you believe that business experiences can be shared even in a way that a layman who picks up the book enjoys reading it, this book is for you. If even if you are a reader who has nothing to do with advertising, you will still pick up a few lessons in professional success.
Is it that good? Well..I have mixed feeling about this book. On one hand, I love the way Piyush communicates through real life examples the importance of meeting people with a variety of interests, trusting one's intuition & honoring one's critics. On the other hand I believe that that the book loses much of its credibility by citing examples of only Ogilvy's campaigns. Piyush shies away from acknowledging successful campaigns by other agencies in the business and this makes the book sound like a very creative sales pitch by Ogilvy as opposed to being a book on offering Piyush's unbiased perspective on Advertising.
Use glossier pages, add a few more pictures and this book could become a successful Sales tool for Ogilvy - something similar to the Coffee Table book on India and Cricket that Piyush mentions about in one of the chapters. The last chapter on how good Ogilvy is an an employer ensures that the organization's Employer Branding is also taken care of.
All this said, the book is still a fresh and light read. If nothing else this book in a chronicle of Piyush's best campaigns over the years - some of the campaigns that I had loved during my growing up years (those years when I did not bother checking who the creative agency was), I now realize, have all come out of Piyush's Pandora box. This book just helped tag Ogilvy to all those campaigns as I walked down the memory lane.
The biggest spoilers though were grammatical errors in the book. Sub-standard proof reading can be a bummer, more so when the book is all about communicating with precision.
I hope the second edition of this book comes out with some non-Ogilvy campaign examples and thorough proof-reading - may be then the INR 799 price tag on the book would hurt less.
Is it that good? Well..I have mixed feeling about this book. On one hand, I love the way Piyush communicates through real life examples the importance of meeting people with a variety of interests, trusting one's intuition & honoring one's critics. On the other hand I believe that that the book loses much of its credibility by citing examples of only Ogilvy's campaigns. Piyush shies away from acknowledging successful campaigns by other agencies in the business and this makes the book sound like a very creative sales pitch by Ogilvy as opposed to being a book on offering Piyush's unbiased perspective on Advertising.
Use glossier pages, add a few more pictures and this book could become a successful Sales tool for Ogilvy - something similar to the Coffee Table book on India and Cricket that Piyush mentions about in one of the chapters. The last chapter on how good Ogilvy is an an employer ensures that the organization's Employer Branding is also taken care of.
All this said, the book is still a fresh and light read. If nothing else this book in a chronicle of Piyush's best campaigns over the years - some of the campaigns that I had loved during my growing up years (those years when I did not bother checking who the creative agency was), I now realize, have all come out of Piyush's Pandora box. This book just helped tag Ogilvy to all those campaigns as I walked down the memory lane.
The biggest spoilers though were grammatical errors in the book. Sub-standard proof reading can be a bummer, more so when the book is all about communicating with precision.
I hope the second edition of this book comes out with some non-Ogilvy campaign examples and thorough proof-reading - may be then the INR 799 price tag on the book would hurt less.
January 21, 2020
Sheer brilliance and creativity of the man awarded as the "The Most Influential man in Indian Advertising" 7 times in a row.
Was a very refreshing tale that made me nostalgic about the ads that used to run during my childhood days. While these were mere ads for us, it was really great to know the thought process that went behind them and their conceptualisation.
Was really enamoured to see how one man can have so much of never-ending supply of creativity.
Piyush's deep lying love for his native - Rajasthan and cricket and how the work that he did were often borne out of these two areas showcased how much someone's passion can still affect their lives, even if they're not in the same field of work. He showed how inspiration can seep out from the smallest of things but the difference lies in what you make of them.
Apart from that, being in marketing, it was very useful to know about the workings of advertising agencies, the reasons behind Ogilvy's great stature in the advertising world even today and the way his ads imbibed what the big brands such as Unilever and Fevicol stood for.
Loved almost every bit of it!!
Was a very refreshing tale that made me nostalgic about the ads that used to run during my childhood days. While these were mere ads for us, it was really great to know the thought process that went behind them and their conceptualisation.
Was really enamoured to see how one man can have so much of never-ending supply of creativity.
Piyush's deep lying love for his native - Rajasthan and cricket and how the work that he did were often borne out of these two areas showcased how much someone's passion can still affect their lives, even if they're not in the same field of work. He showed how inspiration can seep out from the smallest of things but the difference lies in what you make of them.
Apart from that, being in marketing, it was very useful to know about the workings of advertising agencies, the reasons behind Ogilvy's great stature in the advertising world even today and the way his ads imbibed what the big brands such as Unilever and Fevicol stood for.
Loved almost every bit of it!!
November 15, 2015
If not for the brand "Piyush Pandey", this would have been among the bottom heap of Advertising books. The book reads like a 244 page PR exercise for Ogilvy, a poor unstructured one at that. While hits and misses are expected in the story of such a glorious career, this would be a glaring miss for him. A co-author would have most certainly helped. Pandeymonium is sheer pandemonium - Avoid. Unless you work, want to work for Ogilvy or may be an alumunus!!
April 28, 2021
This book is a memoir of Piyush Pandey's life in advertising and in the advertising agency Ogilvy. Although it is categorised as a 'memoir' a much befitting phrase would be 'lessons from a veteran'. The book is generously sprinkled with ideas Piyush Pandey wants his readers to absorb about advertising. It is also chock full of behind-the-scenes of many famous ad campaigns, especially of companies like Fevicol, Asian Paints, Cadbury, and Vodafone. Anyone who's grown up consuming television commercials in the 90s or the 2000s would find the other side of these famous ads just as interesting as the final product which aired on their TVs. I didn't know that Ogilvy handled the accounts of so many companies that have found a permanent place in our minds! Through the tales of these ad campaigns, Piyush also brings out his own views on jingles, celebrity endorsements, consumer research, and many more advertising-related ideas.
For cricket fans, the book has a present to offer in its many cricket metaphors and anecdotes from Piyush's life. Yet, as someone who doesn't follow cricket much, I didn't find any of these to be difficult to understand, but a delight to read.
Now coming to the shortcomings of this book. My biggest gripe is that the book is less about Piyush's life itself and more about his work at Ogilvy. The book starts off with a chapter where Piyush talks about his big family or his 'creative factory' where each of his siblings found success in their own right. I absolutely loved this chapter, and it made me feel closer to the writer, but as I kept reading further, I found that the mention of Piyush's family and his upbringing slowly wanes off, and in that place comes Ogilvy and all the work he has done there with the amazing creative team. It's no surprise that a lot of readers found this book to be a plug for Ogilvy. While I did enjoy reading the behind-the-scenes of these campaigns, a narrative where the reader followed Piyush's life, its ups and downs would've surely made this a more gripping read. As a reader, I would've loved to read more about Piyush's life and especially what he did before he joined Ogilvy.
A lot of names are mentioned in this book. Except for the Bollywood stars, the names aren't all that memorable, as these names aren't characters in a narrative, but just people from Ogilvy that Piyush wants to mention or praise in his book. Again, if there was a single narrative around Piyush's life in this book, these names would've held more meaning to the reader.
While the storytelling might be a little weak, the book is not short on lessons from an advertising guru. As a reader, I got to learn a lot from this book. Piyush explains his ideas passionately, and each with an example from his own life and experiences. I especially loved the chapter where he talks about seemingly boring ad categories and how it is important to believe in the company you're advertising for, as only then will your communication be effective.
This book is a light read, and for younger readers like myself (ie. 21-year-olds) I would recommend keeping a tab of YouTube open while reading so you can enjoy the advertisement campaigns talked about in this book, first hand! That is, in case you missed them when they aired.
For cricket fans, the book has a present to offer in its many cricket metaphors and anecdotes from Piyush's life. Yet, as someone who doesn't follow cricket much, I didn't find any of these to be difficult to understand, but a delight to read.
Now coming to the shortcomings of this book. My biggest gripe is that the book is less about Piyush's life itself and more about his work at Ogilvy. The book starts off with a chapter where Piyush talks about his big family or his 'creative factory' where each of his siblings found success in their own right. I absolutely loved this chapter, and it made me feel closer to the writer, but as I kept reading further, I found that the mention of Piyush's family and his upbringing slowly wanes off, and in that place comes Ogilvy and all the work he has done there with the amazing creative team. It's no surprise that a lot of readers found this book to be a plug for Ogilvy. While I did enjoy reading the behind-the-scenes of these campaigns, a narrative where the reader followed Piyush's life, its ups and downs would've surely made this a more gripping read. As a reader, I would've loved to read more about Piyush's life and especially what he did before he joined Ogilvy.
A lot of names are mentioned in this book. Except for the Bollywood stars, the names aren't all that memorable, as these names aren't characters in a narrative, but just people from Ogilvy that Piyush wants to mention or praise in his book. Again, if there was a single narrative around Piyush's life in this book, these names would've held more meaning to the reader.
While the storytelling might be a little weak, the book is not short on lessons from an advertising guru. As a reader, I got to learn a lot from this book. Piyush explains his ideas passionately, and each with an example from his own life and experiences. I especially loved the chapter where he talks about seemingly boring ad categories and how it is important to believe in the company you're advertising for, as only then will your communication be effective.
This book is a light read, and for younger readers like myself (ie. 21-year-olds) I would recommend keeping a tab of YouTube open while reading so you can enjoy the advertisement campaigns talked about in this book, first hand! That is, in case you missed them when they aired.
March 30, 2021
Pandey's name itself was the reason I dived into this book. As he has his own legacy in the world of advertising. Oglivy comes second, but you place a work one step higher just because you read Piyesh Pandey is behind it. However, as an author, he isn't on familiar turf here. I expected the language to be fluid and full of reminiscence with titbits of his works, how they were conceived. But here, most of the paragraphs are actually textbook-like guidance/success mantra tuition for corporate guys, mostly ad agency guys who want to make it big. On the other hand, there are some beautifully put instances of his own growing up (fevicol, mile sur..) which however, don't follow up in further pages with similar ingenuity. Yes, there are many interesting tales about brand development, like those of Hutch/Vodafone, Asian paints and even-Modi Sarkar. (I'm not gonna forgive Pandeyji for this campaign *wink wink*) but such interesting bits are too less that leaves the reader hungry.
What took me here? Last non-fiction read of mine, Making of Star India, how Oglivy worked on IPL and more such works. But not too happy with this one, my next pick from TBR (since long) will satiate my hunger for more gyaan on the world of advertisements: Nawabs, Nudes, Noodles by Ambi Parameswaran.
What took me here? Last non-fiction read of mine, Making of Star India, how Oglivy worked on IPL and more such works. But not too happy with this one, my next pick from TBR (since long) will satiate my hunger for more gyaan on the world of advertisements: Nawabs, Nudes, Noodles by Ambi Parameswaran.
February 19, 2018
Reading this book was a journey down the memory lane. We all have grown up watching and admiring Oglivy's ads- "Har ghar kuch kehta hai" by Asian Paints, "Hila ke Rakh De" by Center Shock and "Paas Aao Na" by Closeup are indelibly etched in our memories. In this short memoir, Piyush Pandey, the god of Indian advertising opens up with what went behind while brainstorming and scripting these groundbreaking TVCs
The best part of this book is where the author discusses his humble background, his days of growing up in Jaipur and how multiple anecdotes experienced during his childhood eventually became the sources of ideas of many Ads that he worked for. This book reaffirmed my believe that the more diverse experiences you have and the more kind of people you interact with, the more creative you end up being. The author also advises on multiple aspects of work ethics that are useful not only in the field of advertising but for all streams per se. He also discusses some of the common myths associated with the field of advertising and busts them with examples of his experiences.
Another favorite part of my book has been the pictures. Looking at the screenshots of those Ads of bygone days was nothing sort of nostalgic. If only, the publishers wouldn't have saved money and printed the high definition version of those pictures on plastic pages!
The book is a quick read and an engaging one, apart from the last few chapters where Piyush Pandey discusses his colleagues and Oglivy's leadership in India.
For more reviews, follow my blog- https://kumaranshul.com/category/book...
The best part of this book is where the author discusses his humble background, his days of growing up in Jaipur and how multiple anecdotes experienced during his childhood eventually became the sources of ideas of many Ads that he worked for. This book reaffirmed my believe that the more diverse experiences you have and the more kind of people you interact with, the more creative you end up being. The author also advises on multiple aspects of work ethics that are useful not only in the field of advertising but for all streams per se. He also discusses some of the common myths associated with the field of advertising and busts them with examples of his experiences.
Another favorite part of my book has been the pictures. Looking at the screenshots of those Ads of bygone days was nothing sort of nostalgic. If only, the publishers wouldn't have saved money and printed the high definition version of those pictures on plastic pages!
The book is a quick read and an engaging one, apart from the last few chapters where Piyush Pandey discusses his colleagues and Oglivy's leadership in India.
For more reviews, follow my blog- https://kumaranshul.com/category/book...
March 14, 2021
Synopsis: Pandeymonium is the chronicle of Piyush Pandey, the Ad guru behind some of the great media campaigns that Ogilvy has made over the years in India. From family, friends, cricket and cities to cobblers, carpenters, trains and villages, he has beautifully narrated how he drew his inspiration and made the memorable ads which captured everyone's attention and were commercially successful as well (Ponds- Googly woogly woosh; Vodafone Zoozoos; Gujarat Tourism- Khushboo Gujarat ki; and many more). He has translated his passion, creativity and understanding of the art of ad-making into this book which is rich in anecdotes and instances from his life.
Our Take: Growing up in India and having seen so many of the advertisements without even knowing it was made by Ogilvy, Piyush Pandey's memoir certainly made an interesting read. It made us revisit those ads on YouTube and we loved walking down the memory lane. The book has no marketing jargons and can be read even if the reader has nothing to do with advertising. The last 25% of the book was a stretch though and it read like an acknowledgments section with him praising all the different people he has worked with, at Ogilvy. Some parts of it came across as preachy and self-indulgent and that was a bit of a letdown. Overall, the book is easy to read, entertaining and relatable.
Our Take: Growing up in India and having seen so many of the advertisements without even knowing it was made by Ogilvy, Piyush Pandey's memoir certainly made an interesting read. It made us revisit those ads on YouTube and we loved walking down the memory lane. The book has no marketing jargons and can be read even if the reader has nothing to do with advertising. The last 25% of the book was a stretch though and it read like an acknowledgments section with him praising all the different people he has worked with, at Ogilvy. Some parts of it came across as preachy and self-indulgent and that was a bit of a letdown. Overall, the book is easy to read, entertaining and relatable.
November 21, 2015
The best part of the book is the breezy narrative that keeps you turning the pages and zipping through the short chapters. I finished the 250 page book in just more than a day.
However, the book has two central beliefs:
(a) all good advertising in India emanated from Ogilvy.
(b) all good advertising is the result of clients giving agency (Ogilvy) a blue-sky brief and full freedom.
Piyush Pandey has done some phenomenal work in advertising but I wish his explanation of the creative process was a little more than "client told us to expand the market and I dug into my childhood memories to do so".
Also, loved the fact that he devoted a special section of the book to his executive assistant Ophelia and called her 'my partner at work'.
However, the book has two central beliefs:
(a) all good advertising in India emanated from Ogilvy.
(b) all good advertising is the result of clients giving agency (Ogilvy) a blue-sky brief and full freedom.
Piyush Pandey has done some phenomenal work in advertising but I wish his explanation of the creative process was a little more than "client told us to expand the market and I dug into my childhood memories to do so".
Also, loved the fact that he devoted a special section of the book to his executive assistant Ophelia and called her 'my partner at work'.
June 25, 2016
A book which has 'acknowledgement' section going on from the first page till the last. The entire book seemed like a speech made by stars on receiving awards. I want to thank this, that, the family, the whole world, my pets, everyone. A book which is not more than a PR exercise by Ogilvy for its clients, vendors, employees, etc. Did not expect such a debacle from a stalwart like Piyush Pandey. Extremely disappointing read. Whereas Ogilvy and Piyush Pandey are known for their wonderful creativity, this book is devoid of any kind of creativity.
September 2, 2016
This is NOT a critique of Indian advertising, nor a autobiography of sorts by one of the most illustrious stalwarts of the industry.
Instead it reads like one of those escapist Disney stories where the hero effortlessly comes up with one legendary ad after the other , when a client dutifully trusts him (and Ogilvy & Mather) with his brands..
What it does capture successfully for the reader is childhood nostalgia. Those hundreds of unspoken and buried details are magically brought to life by means of a summary of his work. .
Instead it reads like one of those escapist Disney stories where the hero effortlessly comes up with one legendary ad after the other , when a client dutifully trusts him (and Ogilvy & Mather) with his brands..
What it does capture successfully for the reader is childhood nostalgia. Those hundreds of unspoken and buried details are magically brought to life by means of a summary of his work. .
December 12, 2015
Loved the book for simple conversational narration. It's like Piyush Is having a face to face ('one to one') with you. Recommended if like me, while growing up - you were more interested in Advertisements than anything else.
November 1, 2022
What a disappointing, boring and pompous biography. He has had a great career bit I am absolutely appalled by his "Life of Pi" style narration which sounded like look how great I am and I have always been a genius in the making.
April 18, 2016
India's Ad Guru talks about advertising. Must read for any one who loves his FeviQuick Fish Ad. The book is as engaging as that <3
October 13, 2021
A great insight into the wonderful world of advertising - by the most qualified Indian adperson there is!
This is a story of not just about the great ads that he has created/helped create in his journey, but also about how he came up with the ideas for many of them. The reader would be surprised to know that many of those ideas came from his circle of family, friends and all the trips he made around the length and breadth of the country.
I have found him to be humble and yet proud of what he has achieved in his life - an inspiration to anyone who wants to do great things. Also, somewhere towards the end of the book, there is a guidance for those who chase after glory but not behind the very aspect of enjoying the process or aiming to just be better at it.
All in all, a must read for anyone who want to have a quick read on a completely new field - I read it in 2 night - 2 separate sittings spread across 3 weeks.
If you see this anywhere, Go for it!
This is a story of not just about the great ads that he has created/helped create in his journey, but also about how he came up with the ideas for many of them. The reader would be surprised to know that many of those ideas came from his circle of family, friends and all the trips he made around the length and breadth of the country.
I have found him to be humble and yet proud of what he has achieved in his life - an inspiration to anyone who wants to do great things. Also, somewhere towards the end of the book, there is a guidance for those who chase after glory but not behind the very aspect of enjoying the process or aiming to just be better at it.
All in all, a must read for anyone who want to have a quick read on a completely new field - I read it in 2 night - 2 separate sittings spread across 3 weeks.
If you see this anywhere, Go for it!
October 14, 2020
Thanks to my wife (Fizza) for introducing me to this book. She is a big fan of Piyush Pandey and his work. The book begins with some interesting chapters in the start. May be it got my attention because it had cricket in it. In the middle it seems to be repeating some stories again and again. I very much like it’s end where it is shown how great technology fails with consumers when there is not a powerful story attached to it through story telling. Having said that I felt somewhere this book was also lacking some story telling.
September 10, 2019
Piyush Pandey is an advertising royalty and reading about his journey provides a different view to the classic advertisements we have grown up watching. The way the book is written gives you an all access pass to his creative process. Highly recommended for the sheer brilliance of the person who has written it.
September 27, 2021
This is a professional biography of Piyush about his experience in working for Ogilvy. As a reader it was nostalgic and a peek into back stage of many of the famous advertising campaigns of the last few years. There are also few nuggets about handling teams, taking risk and working in a creative field. The chapters though are not very coherent or flow into each other.
July 24, 2017
Follow the life journey of the genius, stumble upon some intriguing facts about advertising industry in India, laugh out loud on some hilarious incidences, get inspired by the sheer brilliance of this guy, learn some valuable lessons form his experience.
June 26, 2025
Surprisingly poor writing and storytelling. In addition to that, god-awful audiobook narration.
September 21, 2025
For the greatest storyteller in Indian advertising, this is a perfect tribute to "naani maa ki kahaaniyaan" because I slept through every chapter. The subtle flexes and proper dadaji views, you would facepalm while yawning as this book is more boring than watching a lizard lizardying from one side of the wall to another. Diagonally. Time for another nap.
July 3, 2019
Brilliant. Hillarious. Worthwhile.
December 4, 2025
This book doesn't do justice to the man et all. Could have been written so much better. He doesn't share in detail any of the insights behind the great campaigns he delivered. Just that many of them were inspired by his own life moments.
March 26, 2016
Piyush Pandey is amongst the biggest names in advertising in India if not the biggest. Hence, any memoir of him is bound to raise curiosity.
Mr. Pandey starts the book by giving the reader a picture of his childhood home and his family. This dallying into his personal life and personal relationships both inside and outside of the workplace is a constant throughout the book. What is also a constant is a seemingly forced weaving of his personal life with his professional success. The book talks about almost everything one could think of in advertising along with everything else under the sky! Some parts of the book seem downright forced and completely out of place. What it is unable to do is bring forth anything memorable. The memoir lacks structure and the takeaways provided to the reader are almost pedestrian. The book makes it obvious that Piyush Pandey is a sum of his experiences but the presentation of those experiences lacks the profoundness that is visible in so many of the man's advertisements. His close association with cricket is very evident in the analogies which are drawn time and again with his work in advertising. Those instances are perhaps the more lucid parts of the narrative.
One would expect seamless integration of ideas with "pitch-perfect" delivery from a man of Piyush Pandey's calibre but the book clearly suggests that creating a few minutes long TVC is starkly different from writing a book. On the surface the book is a messy collection of confused and confusing thoughts. With a co-author and the right editor the book could have been great but in its current form this memoir is a definite miss.
Completely missable!
Mr. Pandey starts the book by giving the reader a picture of his childhood home and his family. This dallying into his personal life and personal relationships both inside and outside of the workplace is a constant throughout the book. What is also a constant is a seemingly forced weaving of his personal life with his professional success. The book talks about almost everything one could think of in advertising along with everything else under the sky! Some parts of the book seem downright forced and completely out of place. What it is unable to do is bring forth anything memorable. The memoir lacks structure and the takeaways provided to the reader are almost pedestrian. The book makes it obvious that Piyush Pandey is a sum of his experiences but the presentation of those experiences lacks the profoundness that is visible in so many of the man's advertisements. His close association with cricket is very evident in the analogies which are drawn time and again with his work in advertising. Those instances are perhaps the more lucid parts of the narrative.
One would expect seamless integration of ideas with "pitch-perfect" delivery from a man of Piyush Pandey's calibre but the book clearly suggests that creating a few minutes long TVC is starkly different from writing a book. On the surface the book is a messy collection of confused and confusing thoughts. With a co-author and the right editor the book could have been great but in its current form this memoir is a definite miss.
Completely missable!
August 22, 2021
I picked up this book with high expectations as Piyush is one of the gurus in the field of advertising and I enjoy knowing about advertisements and their making. Having read many memoirs that influenced me deeply, I was disappointed with this book. The book skims through Piyush’s life, his career with Ogilvy and iconic advertisements created by him. It starts on a good note where he talks about his family but after that, it was confined to Ogilvy and we rarely get to see his personal side. It felt like a PR campaign for Ogilvy at some point. For a person like me who does not enjoy cricket, he has used examples from cricket without getting too technical or boring. If you are even slightly knowledgeable about advertising, this book is not recommended as it is very generic and does not give any specific information on advertising. I expected to be taken through his thought process and the making of his popular advertisements but the book did not cover any of it. The only thing I enjoyed was revisiting some nostalgic advertisements from my childhood. Piyush also mentions a lot of names which meant nothing to me as there was no context. This book is a good start for someone who wants to start taking an interest in advertising or a light read to reminiscence their childhood through nostalgic Indian advertisements. For others, this book can safely be skipped.
October 29, 2021
আমরা যারা ক্রিকেট দেখতে ভালোবাসি(মানে একসময় অন্তত বাসতাম), তাদের জন্য ভারতীয় খেলার চ্যানেল বাদে অন্য মাধ্যম ছিলো না এই কয়েক বছর আগে পর্যন্ত। খেলার ফাঁকে ফাঁকে প্রচুর বিজ্ঞাপন চলতো, আর সেই বিজ্ঞাপনগুলোও মুখস্ত হয়ে যেতো। সেরকম খুব বিখ্যাত কিছু বিজ্ঞাপনের পেছনের মানুষ, Ogilvy India এর ক্রিয়েটিভ চিফ পীযূষ পান্ডের জীবনীমূলক লেখাটা খারাপ না। ভদ্রলোক বারবার জোর দিয়েছেন একটা কথায়, ভালো বিজ্ঞাপন আসলে ভালো যোগাযোগের ক্ষমতা প্রকাশ করে, আর সে ক্ষমতা অর্জন করতে হলে সাধারণ মানুষের সাথে মিশে তাঁদের স্নায়ু বোঝা ছাড়া উপায় নেই। দিনশেষে বিজ্ঞাপনটা কয়টা এওয়ার্ড পেলো সেটার চেয়ে বেশি দরকারি হলো কত মানুষের কাছে বিজ্ঞাপনটা পৌঁছালো আর পণ্যের বিক্রি কতটা বাড়লো।
বইটা আবার খুব ভালো এমনও না। খুবই সংক্ষিপ্ত একটা গণ্ডির মধ্যে লেখা, আর লেখকও কেমন যেন সন্তর্পণে ভালো ভালো কিছু জিনিসের আর মানুষের বর্ণনা দিয়ে গেলেন। লেখার পেছনের আসল মানুষটাকে ঠিক ধরা গেলো না। তারপরেও, বিজ্ঞাপন নিয়ে আগ্রহ থাকলে পড়ে ফেলা যায়। তা না হলে কীভাবে জানবেন, পন্ডসের বিখ্যাত googly wugly woosh এর আইডিয়াটা লেখকের মাথায় এসেছিল স্ত্রী তাঁকে এই বলে গাল টেনে আদর করবার সময়?
April 7, 2018
This is a disappointing book to come out from the man who created many Indian Iconic ads. This is neither an autobiography nor an extensive take on Indian advertising industry. The book is unstructured and uneven.
Few good points about the book, is we get to know why Piyush think awards are not a necessity ( Which I agree completely) to who should get credit and why music is an important role in storytelling.
The rest of the book is just an extended PR for Ogilvy India, it is strange he talks little about competitors and he mentions that more women are needed in industry, but does not give any solutions for this. ( Read how to end salary disparity and long working hours). Piyush mentions how advertising agency is facing talent crunch but fails to mentions this is because of unpaid internships and low salaries.
Overall, this book is a missed opportunity.
Few good points about the book, is we get to know why Piyush think awards are not a necessity ( Which I agree completely) to who should get credit and why music is an important role in storytelling.
The rest of the book is just an extended PR for Ogilvy India, it is strange he talks little about competitors and he mentions that more women are needed in industry, but does not give any solutions for this. ( Read how to end salary disparity and long working hours). Piyush mentions how advertising agency is facing talent crunch but fails to mentions this is because of unpaid internships and low salaries.
Overall, this book is a missed opportunity.
November 13, 2015
"Storytelling is the conveying of events in words, sound and/or images, often by improvisation or embellishment." Pandeymonium, as a book has all the elements that one needs to become an addictive storyteller. It takes you through the journey of Piyush Pandey over the years as a person as well as a professional often making you stop at various important milestones in his life and helping you take a peek into his perspective of looking at things. Overall, this a highly entertaining read as it makes you connect to similar incidences and stories in your life.
December 2, 2020
Wish the author had more respect for his readers.
The book is smeared with platitudes.
The language lacks effort.
Every story is Piyush Pandey patting his back for work well done, hastily mellowed with banal philosophizing. Zero insights on the process of creation.
If you read without critical evaluation this book may fill your tank with fake fuel, dooming you to a blowout in the real world.
Read 'Ogilvy on Advertising' instead. If you read and reflect, you'd need weeks to read that book. Pandeymonium places no demands on cognition, regrettably so.
5 hours wasted.
The book is smeared with platitudes.
The language lacks effort.
Every story is Piyush Pandey patting his back for work well done, hastily mellowed with banal philosophizing. Zero insights on the process of creation.
If you read without critical evaluation this book may fill your tank with fake fuel, dooming you to a blowout in the real world.
Read 'Ogilvy on Advertising' instead. If you read and reflect, you'd need weeks to read that book. Pandeymonium places no demands on cognition, regrettably so.
5 hours wasted.
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