Shubman Gill, the poster boy of Gillette, is growing a beard. But why is the face of India’s biggest shaving company refusing to shave? Because the beard actually protects him from the biggest risk to his brand: Being trapped as a youth icon. Youth icons are valuable, but they are also replaceable. Every few years, a younger, cuter, more explosive player arrives. And brands naturally start moving towards them. Gillette itself did that by going after Abhishek Sharma while Gill was already their ambassador. Which reveals the real problem. “Clean-shaven young Indian star” is not an identity. It’s a category. And categories are replaceable. This is the exact trap Gill wants to escape. For years, Gill has been perceived as the future Indian captain. So much so that now when he’s actually entering that era, people don’t feel emotionally overwhelmed by it anymore. Because audiences already consumed that fantasy years ago. That’s why Gill cannot compete on freshness anymore. Freshness is crowded. There will always be another young batter with a viral innings, sharper social media presence, and newer aura. Gill instead has to compete on stature. And stature requires a completely different visual psychology. The clean-shaven Gill looked like potential. The bearded Gill looks like responsibility. The beard adds so much authority apart from the visible visual difference. For the first time, Gill looks less like Indian cricket’s “next big thing” and more like someone expected to carry Indian cricket itself. And this transition matters far more than style.

Zero-posting is signalling higher status than someone who is too much out there. When everyone is an influencer, nobody is. That exclusivity and less posting is also being rewarded by the algorithm apparently. Someone who is posting a lot is getting okayish reach. But someone who seldom posts is more sought after. This goes against traditional thinking of consistency on socials. Just a few insights we collected from our own Insta and our some of the brands we work with.

When asked about buying an IPL franchise in Nikhil Kamath’s podcast, Kumar Mangalam Birla said he’s not really into it because it’s a question of capital allocation. There’s better opportunities elsewhere. Probably what changed is the fact that RCB’s brand at the $2 B mark might be a great value buy.

RCB might have to change its name. Because the name Royal Challengers Bengaluru was supposed to promote the Royal Challenge Whiskey sold by its current owner Diageo. But now RCB is on sale. And whoever buys it next will end up in a dilemma. It's the legacy trap Vijay Mallya set at the start of the IPL. If the new owners keep the name Royal Challengers Bengaluru, they’ll basically be running a free marketing campaign. That too for an alcohol brand they don’t even own. But if they change it, they risk a steep collapse in brand value. Because you can’t recreate the same connection fans built with the original name.  At least not that fast. But there’s a way around this problem. See, most people relate with the abbreviation RCB. So why not retain that but change the full form to Royal Champions of Bengaluru. It’ll take away the explicit connection with Royal Challenge whiskey. And it's actually the perfect way to describe the team’s journey. Because when they are already the reigning champions of IPL, there’s no better time for Royal Challengers to become the Royal Champions of Bengaluru.

Flipkart is sponsoring Namibia’s jersey in this T20 World Cup But why is a local Indian e-commerce company sponsoring the jersey of a nation where it doesn’t even operate? You see, 90% of cricket viewers are Indians. Most people who’ll watch the T20 World Cup will be Indians, even if it’s some other country’s match. So to be in front of them, you don’t need to buy the super expensive jersey slot of the Indian team. You can simply buy any other country’s jersey slot which is much cheaper. In fact, it’s better for Flipkart. Indians are more drawn to companies that are global brands. So when we see their logo on the Namibia’s jersey, it would cement a local brand as a global brand in our minds. That’s brilliant because it’s like ek teer se do nishane. This has actually happened before with Nandini Dairy sponsoring Ireland and Amul sponsoring USA’s jerseys. And it's definitely not a coincidence that all of them very smartly sponsor teams that are in India’s group. If you want more such pieces on your feed, follow @FinFloww for more.

The most successful politician isn't PM Modi, Indira Gandhi or Nehru It’s Nitish Kumar who is taking the CM oath for the 10th time after serving Bihar for more than 20 yrs What did he do right that Bihar keeps voting him again? THREAD: How Nitish Kumar transformed Bihar🧵

For decades, UP was one of the POOREST states of India Everyone thought it’ll FAIL since it’s crowded, chaotic and struggling with law & order But to their SHOCK, UP went from the POOREST to being the 2nd LARGEST economy in just 7 years! Here’s how UP plans to hit $1 trillion: While India is chasing a $30 trillion economy by 2047, UP aspires to contribute $6 trillion of that. Today, UP is about 9.3% of India’s GDP. By 2047, the goal is 16%, nearly doubling its share in the national economic output. But ambitions are one thing. Numbers tell the real story. 👉 UP’s current economy is valued at roughly ₹35 lakh crore (≈ $414 billion), about the size of South Africa’s economy today. It is the second largest state economy in the country, but with a large population of 24 crores, it ought to do more. This gap is both a challenge and an opportunity. Think about it: reaching $1 trillion by 2030 means more than doubling UP’s economy in just 5 years. And by 2047, the $6 trillion target would require even bigger growth. The bar is high. So it helps to think of the journey in three natural phases: 👉Short term (2025-2030): Build roads, airports, logistics, startup hubs. Ensure law and order is predictable. Push capital expenditure and project execution. 👉Medium term (2030-2040): Urbanise, skill up, and connect districts to growth hubs. 👉Long term (2040-2047): Move into innovation, advanced manufacturing, tech exports. Aim for parity with developed sub-national economies. To achieve this, the UP government is actively seeking public input and has laid out 12 key sectors as the pillars of its “Uttar Pradesh Vision 2047” grouped under three categories: 👉Arth Shakti (Economic Power) 👉Srijan Shakti (Creative Power) 👉Jeevan Shakti (Life Power) Let’s go through them one by one. Arth Shakti aims to boost the economy through modernizing agriculture, supporting industries and MSMEs, promoting tourism, and building IT and electronics hubs. Srijan Shakti focuses on innovation and sustainable growth through education, skill development, research, infrastructure, and renewable energy. Jeevan Shakti is about improving lives: better healthcare, social welfare, law and order, and balanced urban-rural development. Together, these pillars form the roadmap for UP to become a $6 trillion economy by 2047. But let’s take a step back. Let’s take a look at what’s changed since 2017. In 2017, UP had only 2 expressways. Today, it has 18: completed (7), proposed (8) and under construction (3). The state accounts for India’s largest expressway network. And is rightly called the expressway state of India. It also boasts 5 domestic and 3 international airports. The government took the connectivity challenge head on and delivered impressive results. And now, with a capital expenditure of ₹2.26 lakh crore, there will be massive investment in infrastructure and machinery. Law and order also used to be a chronic complaint. Cases against women used to languish. Today, charge-sheeting rates are higher than the national average, indicating that a larger number of cases are now being formally pursued through the legal system. Why does this matter? Because without law and order, investors don’t show up and tourists don’t stay. And now, investors are showing up. In May 2025 alone, UP State Industrial Development Authority (UPSIDA) allotted 113 industrial plots, worth ₹700 crore, with 4,800 jobs projected. Gorakhpur Industrial Development Authority (GIDA) saw ₹2,251 crore of industrial project launches recently, including a ₹700 crore Coca-Cola bottling plant. UP’s Defence Corridor, with 6 nodes including Lukhnow, Aligarh, Kanpur, Jhansi, Agra and Chitrakoot, is drawing in over ₹30,000 crore of proposals. The state has the highest number of MSMEs in the country and ranks 2nd in Ease of Doing Business (EoDB). It’s boots-on-ground capex. But to get to $1 trillion, UP must convert potential into productivity. That means more than roads and factories. It means skilling youth, supporting entrepreneurs, sustaining law and order, and building public trust in governance. The “how” matters just as much as the “what”. So, how far has UP come? 👉Its economy has more than doubled since 2017. 👉Factory registrations are rising. 👉Startups are emerging from Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities. 👉Law and order is no longer the first worry of investors. This is not the same UP that headlines once mocked. And how far can it go? If it continues on this path, with capital, credibility, and continuity, UP may not just meet its $1 trillion target. It might just become the economic keystone of Viksit Bharat. If you liked this read, do RePost🔄 and follow us @FinFloww for such reads every Monday, Wednesday and Friday!

Bollywood is having its worst identity crisis in decades Hindi cinema’s box office share has crashed from ₹5,380 Cr in 2023 to ₹4,679 Cr in 2024 The Crazy Part? 31% of this “Hindi cinema” revenue actually came from dubbed South Indian films Here’s why Bollywood is bleeding🧵