On an evening when emotions ran high, the exchange4media Group felicitated brothers Piyush and Prasoon Pandey, ahead of them being honoured with the prestigious Lion of St Mark award at Cannes later this year
It was indeed a proud moment for the Indian advertising industry when the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity announced that brothers Piyush and Prasoon Pandey would be honoured with the prestigious Lion of St. Mark award - the highest honour for outstanding creativity - at the 2018 festival in June this year. On February 1, the exchange4media Group felicitated these stalwarts of the advertising industry, who have made India proud by winning such unprecedented global acclaim. Emotions ran high, as the brothers received a standing ovation and went up on stage to be felicitated. “I just had a couple of whiskeys and one came out of my right eye and the other through my left,” Piyush Pandey joked, brushing away a tear.
‘It’s a recognition for us all. I feel India is on the stage...’
PIYUSH PANDEY
Executive Chairman & Creative Director, South Asia, Ogilvy & Mather India
“This award is not just a recognition for Prasoon and me, it is a recognition for us all. When you happen to be older and the first ones, you get the chance to be recognized. There are a lot of people who have done a lot of good work. And today, I feel India is on the stage where a lot of people in our industry can say, ‘If these guys can do it, I can do it better than that.’ Thank you everyone for your support, your love, affection, and for all the wonderful things you have said.”
‘Our parents must be looking down and smiling ear to ear’
PRASOON PANDEY
Founder, Corcoise FILMS
“It is indeed a matter of great pride for us to be receiving the Lion of St Mark at Cannes in June this year. I must confess we do feel a huge sense of pride with this. All our body of work is deeply rooted in the Indian ethos, which means in a way we are getting this award for just appreciating, admiring and loving the land that we come from. As you would imagine, it is a huge emotional moment for me because I get to stand next to my brother. Our parents must be looking down with great satisfaction and smiling ear to ear. It is also our father’s day today so he would be cheered.”
‘You have given Ogilvy some of its best work, its most famous work’
“Congratulations, Piyush and Prasoon! Never was a recognition so well deserved, and so well earned, and how beautiful it is that you brothers receive it together. You have indeed had a lifetime of achievement. You have given Ogilvy some of its best work, its most famous work. You have inspired 20,000 Ogilvy people all over the world. You are loved, you are applauded. I will never forget walking down the street with you, Piyush, when you were stopped and asked to sign autographs. This has not been a common occurrence in my life. You are my friends, and for this, I am grateful every day. You are giants in our industry. It seems only right that you are awarded the ‘Lion of Saint Mark’. I am proud just to know you.”
‘It’s such a great honour for you and for all of us Indians’
“Congratulations, Piyush and Prasoon! I am so delighted, I am so happy. And it’s such a great honour for you and for our organization and for all of us Indians that the two of you have been recognized on this global stage. All the best!”
‘You have been an integral part of making Asian Paints what it is today’
“Heartiest congratulations to Piyush and Prasoon! No two people could have been more deserving of such an outstanding award. They have both been associated closely with Asian Paints and me - Piyush since the mid-nineties, from his famous Onam ad and Prasoon once he started making films for us. I still remember the day Piyush concocted the ‘Har ghar kuchh kehta hai’ campaign - it was probably early 2002 in his office. We so liked the idea that we sat all night drinking after that. Prasoon worked on the famous ‘exteriors’ campaign ‘Sunil Babu’, for which Asian Paints has been well known for a long time, and on Phase 2 of ‘Har ghar kuchh kehta hai’. So, both have been an integral part of the company in developing and making Asian Paints what it is.”
Here are a few congratulatory messages that came in for Piyush and Prasoon Pandey, from top industry associates, clients and peers
‘You gave advertising with a Western ethos an Indian heart & soul...’
“Congratulations on this exceptional recognition! The two of you deserve it 100%. My relationship with the two of you is for more than 25 years. I have this extraordinary fortune that I worked in four companies - Asian Paints, Onida, Cadbury and Pidilite - and by a strange quirk of fate, Ogilvy & Mather has been the agency for all the four companies, and it’s always been Piyush and Prasoon on the other side. I have watched your journey with amazement – how you transformed Indian advertising from a very Western ethos to Indian advertising which deeply connects to the Indian heart and soul, and spoken in a very Indian idiom. I am sure there is a lot more to come in the future. And I look forward to our relationship continuing. As I always keep joking, if I ever have to find another job, I have to start with the Ogilvy & Mather client list. All the very best!”
‘You have taken India’s pride to a very different level...’
“Piyush and Prasoon, you have always done India proud. Now, you have taken it to a very different level. All of us in the Indian advertising industry are extremely proud of your achievements and for this fantastic felicitation that is going to happen at Cannes. Prasoon, you will remember that many years ago, when we sat outside Ravi Sharma’s studio in Lintas, Delhi, it was very clear that you were going to be one of the big film-makers because of the sheer passion that you had at that time, and from there, look where you have reached! Piyush, you have always been the iconic advertising person all of us look up to. My best wishes to both of you, and I know that your best is yet to come.
‘Work done by Piyush and Prasoon will inspire future generations...’
“Cannes should change this award to ‘Lions of Saint Mark’ because it’s not one person this time, but two. It’s unprecedented. As an Indian, it makes me feel very proud that an honour like this is coming to two stalwarts of our industry. I don’t know whether it has happened before, but two brothers - one a creative genius, another an acclaimed film-maker - being honoured together is amazing. When the future generation looks back, the work done by Piyush individually, Prasoon individually, and the work done by them together, will be of great inspiration to them. They have not just created history, they have left a legacy for the generations to come.”
‘You constantly flow with creativity even when you are partying or having fun...’
“I have known both Piyush and Prasoon for a really long time. Prasoon from his early days in Lintas, when he was just out of NID, when we worked on many projects together. I have known Piyush from his early days, and also worked on many projects together including ‘Mile Sur’. We’ve been friends and we’ve been comrades, and we’ve been working together as well. We have travelled to Cannes, done so many wonderful trips. They really enjoy the creative process, and they are constantly flowing with creativity even when they are out partying or just having fun. The ideas never stop coming, and that is very special in both of them. The ‘Lion of Saint Mark’ award at Cannes is really well-deserved. Congratulations to you both! !”
‘Together, Piyush and Prasoon have taken our media industry back to its roots...’
“I am delighted about Piyush and Prasoon winning the ‘Lion of Saint Mark’ award. I have great love and affection for both of them. Prasoon is brilliant in what he does as a film-maker. And Piyush is a wonderful human being as well as the most exemplary advertising professional that this country has produced. Together, they have taken our media industry back to the roots. They have made it even more grounded, even more Indian. I am very proud of my association with Piyush who helped us launch Brand Republic.”
‘My heart swells with pride that two Indians are among the big names that won this honour’
“Piyush and Prasoon, I’m delighted to be able to congratulate you on this absolute honour that you have brought upon yourselves. You have done the entire advertising, marketing and media community of India proud. Especially when I look at the earlier recipients of the Lion of St Mark award, my heart swells with pride that we have two Indians who sit alongside such big names in the world of advertising. Piyush, I think accolades are not new to you, but I’m sure this one is really special because this is for the first time that not just one, but two Indians - and not just two Indians, but two brothers together - are winning this accolade. Congratulations, my friends!”
