MAM
Toyota moves to fun & thrill in its ‘Waku Doki’ campaign
MUMBAI: Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) launched its new Waku Doki Multi-Media campaign targeted at the youth in India.
The creatives of the campaign have been conceptualised by Percet/H. With this campaign, Toyota introduces the audiences to its new brand promise, ‘Toyota will make your heart go Waku Doki.’
The name of the campaign ‘Waku Doki‘ in Japanese means ‘Heightened anticipation and excited heart thumping’.
The focus of the campaign is to communicate that the product offers excitement to the youth through different activities. The campaign also aims to involve people from various walks of life to share their moments wherein they have felt ‘Waku Doki’. The feeling will then be linked to owing a Toyota and driving the vehicle.
The campaign provides racing heartbeats, adrenaline rush, thrilling excitement and exhilaration which can be felt by any individual in instances to connect the essence of the phrase Waku Doki with the Indian audience.
Percept H Pvt Ltd senior creative director NileshNaik said, “The task was to make Waku-Doki synonyms with exciting, heart thumping moments. We did this through an integrated campaign which shows people from various walks of life, young and old experiencing Waku-Doki moments in their everyday life. Moments that every Indian can relate to.”
The campaign has appeared in the newspapers and has hit the TV channels. It has also aired on You Tube and radio channels.
Toyota Kirloskar Motor MD Hiroshi Nakagawa said, “With this campaign we are trying to move to the next level and assume a new face – thrilling, exhilarating and fun. With this shift, we hope to build up the emotional quotient and endear our consumers to the brand .We are “very Waku Doki with this campaign” and hope this Waku Doki feeling can be widely spread in India. ”
In the year 2010, Toyota launched its ‘Quality Promise’ campaign which was supported and further enhanced by the ‘Toyota yani Bharosa’ campaign. It aimed at rewarding every consumer with a smile.
Brands
Kwality Wall’s reports standalone losses following strategic HUL demerger
Ice cream major faces Rs 64 crore Ebitda loss amid commodity inflation and muted Q3 sales
MUMBAI: Kwality Wall’s (India) Limited (KWIL) has released its first set of financial results as a standalone entity, revealing a challenging start to its independent journey. Following its successful demerger from Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) on 1st December 2025 and its subsequent listing on 16th February 2026, the company is navigating a transition period marked by structural changes and high input costs.
For the quarter ended 31st December 2025, the company reported revenue of Rs 222 crores. Despite the revenue base, the bottom line was impacted by several factors, resulting in an Ebitda loss of Rs 64.2 crores. When calculated on a Pre-IND AS 116 basis, the Ebitda loss stood at Rs 83.8 crores.
Organic Sales Growth (OSG) declined by 6.5 per cent year-on-year during the quarter. Volume growth, however, saw a marginal increase of 1.2 per cent. The company reported a gross margin of 41.5 per cent. Additionally, exceptional expenses amounting to Rs 94 crores were recorded, primarily linked to non-recurring costs during the transition phase.
Performance across portfolios and channels was mixed. Within the impulse portfolio, brands such as Magnum and Cornetto recorded mid-single digit volume growth, indicating steady demand in on-the-go consumption. However, the in-home portfolio, which includes take-home packs, experienced muted consumption. The company is planning a relaunch of this category with improved offerings ahead of the 2026 season.
Quick commerce (Q-Com) continued to emerge as a strong growth driver, delivering robust double-digit growth during the quarter. Meanwhile, the company also expanded its physical distribution network by increasing the number of company-owned cabinets across markets.
Margin pressure during the quarter was driven by a combination of one-off factors and broader cost inflation. Gross margins were impacted by around 600 basis points due to trade investments made for stock liquidation. Additionally, cocoa price inflation contributed to another 400 basis points of pressure on margins.
Deputy managing director Chitrank Goel attributed the muted performance partly to prolonged monsoons and transitional challenges linked to the GST framework. Operating expenses also increased as the company invested in establishing its standalone supply chain, operational systems and corporate infrastructure following the demerger.
Looking ahead, the management remains focused on a volume-driven growth strategy. To restore profitability, the company has initiated a cost productivity programme aimed at reducing non-consumer-facing costs. It is also working on building regional manufacturing networks to optimise logistics expenses and improve operational efficiency.
The commodity outlook for the near term remains mixed. Dairy prices are expected to remain firm due to tight supply conditions and rising fodder costs. Sugar prices may also move higher following increases in the Minimum Selling Price (MSP). While cocoa prices have moderated recently, currency depreciation has offset some of the potential cost relief for the company.
