Arun Nanda’s demise leaves an indelible mark on Indian advertising

Diwan Arun Nanda, one of Indian advertising’s longest-serving leaders and co-founder of Rediffusion, passed away this week at the age of 76. His career spanned over five decades, straddling brand management, agency leadership, policy advisory and boardroom influence across multiple industries.

An alumnus of the first batch of the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, Nanda graduated in 1966 as the institute’s first gold medallist. He was also part of the inaugural intake of management trainees at Hindustan Lever, where he worked as brand manager of Rin detergent. It was here that he created the enduring ‘lightning strikes’ mnemonic, a device that became a cornerstone of the brand’s recall strategy.

By 1973, Nanda had shifted from marketing into the creative side of the business, co-founding Rediffusion alongside Ajit Balakrishnan and Mohammed Khan. Over the following decades, the agency built a reputation for high-profile campaigns and became a fixture among India’s leading creative shops. Reflecting on the agency’s half-century journey, Nanda once remarked that Rediffusion’s 50 years had been “a dream run,” filled with clients, campaigns and brand-building experiences.

In 2023, Nanda stepped down as chairman of Rediffusion after 50 years at the helm. The role was handed to his long-time protégé, Dr. Sandeep Goyal, who continues to serve as the agency’s managing director.  

Beyond agency leadership, Nanda held a series of influential roles across the advertising ecosystem. He served twice as President of the Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) and was conferred with its Lifetime Achievement Award in the early 2000s. He was also Chairman of Dentsu Young & Rubicam, an Asia-wide joint venture between the two international advertising groups, underscoring his role in bridging Indian creativity with global networks.

Nanda’s influence extended into policymaking and corporate governance. Between 1983 and 1991, he was an advisor to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, offering counsel during a period of significant political and economic transition. He later held board positions with Air India, Eveready, Kingfisher Airlines, Yes Bank and several other companies. His presence in these spaces reflected how advertising leaders of his generation often moved fluidly between brand-building, public policy, and corporate leadership.

Industry veterans recall that his dual grounding in management and creativity distinguished him in an era when advertising in India was still defining its contours. His early years at Hindustan Lever gave him a marketer’s discipline, while his decades at Rediffusion allowed him to push the boundaries of communication and agency-client dynamics. This mix shaped his ability to navigate boardrooms, global networks, and political advisory roles with equal fluency.

With his passing, Indian advertising loses a figure whose career mirrored the sector’s own evolution — from multinational consumer goods marketing in the 1960s, to the rise of independent creative agencies in the 1970s, to the era of global joint ventures and industry associations in the decades that followed.

As Rediffusion marked its 50th year, Nanda can be summed up his professional life with characteristic brevity of it being “a dream run.” For many in the industry, his career embodied both the promise and the complexity of Indian advertising as it expanded from a handful of agencies to a globally connected business.