"Human relations are under threat in the digital world" - Piyush Pandey

At an event, Pandey went on to showcase six of his agency's works, Indian and global, to highlight the role of a brand's communication in enhancing human relationships.

While brands and their agencies are increasingly taking up environmental issues like sustainability in their campaigns, Piyush Pandey, global CCO and executive chairman, India - Ogilvy, maintains that there is another sustainability, the 'sustainability of human relationships' that also needs to be addressed. Addressing delegates at the closing session on Day 2 of the International Advertising Association's World Congress event in Kochi, Pandey mentions that human relations are 'under threat in a digital world'.

Piyush Pandey

"I have been working on a paints brand (Asian Paints) for 35 years and 20 years ago, there was a theory of taking three-bedroom houses to provide more privacy for children. Today, I hear, people want open doors and more open space because the children are not talking and are fixated on their gadgets," Pandey says.

"On the other hand, while we've known that patients should be left alone and not disturbed, research suggests that emotional support is as good as medical support," he adds.

Pandey shares one of his personal experiences from a time when his mother was unwell and in the hospital, "When we were barred from seeing her in the ICU, my sister insisted and reminded me that my mother's face always seems to ask - 'when will I see you?' - and she wants to talk to someone."

"In this digital age, are we talking to each other enough? Brands can help us to be better friends," he states.

ALSO READ: Amazon cracks yet another desi insight

Pandey goes on to showcase six ad films made by his agency over the years, as examples of what brands can do. The first four films included Google's Reunion campaign, Amazon's #DeliverTheLove campaign, Brooke Bond Red label's Swad Apnepan Ka, and T for Togetherness campaigns. This was followed by a couple of ad films from Thai brands - Charoen Pokphand Group's Gratitude and Mother Knows Best by Thai Life Insurance.

Here are the ads that Pandey showcased:

Google Search: Reunion campaign from 2013

Amazon's #DeliverTheLove campaign from August 2016

Brooke Bond Red Label's Swad Apnepan Ka campaign from 2014

Red Label's T for Togetherness campaign from 2017

Thailand's Charoen Pokphand Group's Gratitude ad film from last year

Mother Knows Best - Thai Life Insurance's tearjerker ad from last year