New Delhi : Dharampal Satyapal Group (DS Group), in collaboration with WPP Media and MICA (Mudra Institute of Communications, Ahmedabad), has launched DCODE 2.0 – The Guide to Digital Marketing, an expanded edition of its digital marketing playbook designed to help marketers navigate the rapidly evolving digital ecosystem.
Building on its first edition, DCODE 2.0 integrates Artificial Intelligence (AI) across key areas of digital marketing rather than treating it as a standalone discipline. The playbook examines AI applications across Search, Paid Media, Performance Marketing, Content & Creative and other areas, reflecting its growing role in modern marketing practices.
The latest edition brings together the industry expertise of DS Group and WPP Media with the academic rigour of MICA, strengthening its relevance for marketing professionals, practitioners, students and the wider academic ecosystem.
DCODE 2.0 has also been reorganised to make its content more accessible and practical. Its modules have been strengthened, while the Paid, Owned and Earned (POE) framework has been refreshed to support digital marketing planning and execution.
Rajeev Jain, Sr Vice President, Corporate Marketing, DS Group, said, “Digital marketing is evolving at an extraordinary pace while AI is fundamentally changing how marketers think, create, engage and measure. DCODE 2.0 is our effort to navigate this transformation and translate it into practical knowledge that marketers can apply. Our collaboration with MICA adds an important academic dimension, while our partnership with WPP Media brings deep industry expertise. Together, they make DCODE 2.0 a more relevant, comprehensive and future-ready resource for the marketing ecosystem.”
Prasanth Kumar, CEO WPP Media, South Asia, said, “Marketing is moving from a world of fragmented digital channels to an increasingly connected, intelligent and adaptive ecosystem. AI is accelerating this shift, but its real impact will come from how effectively marketers integrate it across the entire consumer journey, from discovery and media to content, commerce and measurement. DCODE 2.0 is a timely effort to bring these evolving disciplines together and translate a complex, fast-changing landscape into practical knowledge. By combining industry experience with academic rigour, the playbook can help marketers move beyond simply understanding new technologies to applying them meaningfully to drive growth.”
Jaya Deoras Deshmukh, Director & CEO, MICA, said, “The future of marketing is not merely to discover demand; it is to imagine, create, and responsibly steward the futures that demand inhabits. As the marketing function steps into this Age of Imagination, the fundamental discipline of demand activation transforms, sensing unfelt and unmet needs and bringing them to life. DCODE 2.0 captures that very shift by pairing smart technology with human intuition, empowering marketers to look beyond what already exists and imagine entirely new possibilities into being.”
Designed for corporate and agency marketing teams, digital practitioners, media planners and buyers, students, academic institutions and senior marketing professionals, DCODE 2.0 will be available as an open-access resource. It offers frameworks, processes, best practices and actionable guidance across key digital marketing disciplines.
According to WPP Media’s TYNY 2025 report, India’s total advertising revenue is projected to grow 9.7% in 2026 to ₹2,01,891 crore, with digital accounting for 68.1% of total advertising revenue, highlighting the increasing importance of digital platforms in India’s advertising ecosystem.
