Brands
The Golden Elixir of Smoke: Hillfort Whisky strikes gold with smoky new campaign
MUMBAI: Raise a glass! Hillfort Whisky has found liquid gold in its latest campaign.
When the premium spirit joined forces with creative agency Black Cab, the mission was simple yet ambitious: take Hillfort from being just another label on the shelf to a whisky with a story worth savouring.
Enter “The Golden Elixir of Smoke”, a campaign that promised more than just a drama. It offered discovery, drama, and a dash of heritage. Drawing on imagery of gold, relics, rulers and celebration, the visuals painted Hillfort as a hidden treasure waiting to be unearthed.
The campaign leaned heavily on visual storytelling, weaving together motifs of gold, relics, rulers and celebration. Seven themes, including “The Discovery,” “The Treasure,” “The Smoky Affair” and “The Celebration”, were used to frame Hillfort’s character as rare, layered and connoisseur-worthy.
The results? According to the brand, the campaign reached 1.3 million people, drove over 38,000 engagements and nearly 9,000 link clicks, while also boosting its follower base by 1,600.
For whisky enthusiasts, it was a smoky revelation. For casual scrollers, it was proof that storytelling still packs a punch in digital marketing. And for Hillfort, it was a golden moment in building a brand legacy that looks set to pour out many more chapters.
As Black Cab cheekily put it, this isn’t just whisky. Its history, heritage, and a happy ending served neat.
Brands
RPSG’s Sudhir Langer exits days before IPL 2026
Timing sharpens focus on stake sale buzz and LSG’s tightening financial playbook
MUMBAI: RPSG ( RP-Sanjiv Goenka) Ventures has sprung a late leadership surprise just as the IPL drumroll begins. Sudhir Langer will step down as whole-time director and from the board effective March 31, days after the 2026 Indian Premier League season kicks off on March 28.
The timing is hard to ignore. RPSG Ventures owns Lucknow Super Giants, and Langer’s exit lands in a narrow pre-tournament window when operational focus is typically at its peak.
The move also coincides with chatter around a potential stake sale. According to a Moneycontrol report, the RPSG Group, led by Sanjiv Goenka, is exploring options to offload up to a 15 per cent stake in the franchise. There has been no official confirmation.
RPSG had acquired the Lucknow franchise in November 2021 for Rs 7,090 crore, among the highest bids in IPL history. The team operates under RPSG Sports Private Limited and carries a sizeable annual franchise fee obligation of Rs 709 crore through FY31.
Financials underline both scale and strain. The franchise remains heavily reliant on central revenue distribution from the Board of Control for Cricket in India. In H1 FY26, it received Rs 399 crore as its share of franchise rights, compared with Rs 458 crore in FY25, the single largest contributor to income.
Total revenue for H1 FY26 stood at Rs 495.9 crore, with profit at Rs 63.7 crore. Yet FY25 saw a softer showing: revenue fell about 20 per cent to Rs 557 crore, weighed down by fewer matches and a lower league finish in the 2024 season. Growth has since been modest, with H1 FY26 revenue rising roughly 3 per cent year on year.
That leaves LSG balancing on a familiar IPL tightrope: strong central inflows, volatile on-field-linked earnings and a hefty fixed fee burden.
With a leadership exit, stake-sale speculation and a new season about to begin, Goenka’s cricket bet is entering a decisive phase—where timing, performance and capital strategy will all have to click.
