DS Group launches DCODE 2.0 with WPP Media and MICA, expands AI focus

New Delhi: Dharampal Satyapal Group (DS Group), in collaboration with WPP Media and MICA, has launched DCODE 2.0, The Guide to Digital Marketing, an updated edition of its digital marketing playbook. The new edition integrates artificial intelligence across areas including search, paid media, performance marketing, content and creative, rather than treating AI as a separate subject. MICA has joined the initiative as an academic partner, while WPP Media continues to contribute industry inputs. The playbook has also been reorganised, with an updated Paid, Owned and Earned (POE) framework and revised modules. DS Group said DCODE 2.0 will be updated periodically to reflect changes in technology, tools, industry practices and consumer behaviour. 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.” DCODE 2.0 will be available as an open-access resource for corporate and agency marketing teams, digital practitioners, media planners and buyers, students, academic institutions and senior marketing professionals. The playbook covers frameworks, processes and guidance across different areas of digital marketing. According to WPP Media's TYNY 2025 report, India's total advertising revenue is projected to grow 9.7% in 2026 to Rs 2,01,891 crore, an increase of Rs 17,844 crore over 2025. Digital, including digital extensions of traditional media, is expected to account for 68.1% of total advertising revenue. Commerce-led advertising is projected to grow 24.2%, while other digital channels are expected to expand 11.1%. OOH and cinema are projected to grow 8.9%, television 3.1% and audio 1.5%. AI-powered search, voice and agentic discovery are projected to grow 8%.