Dharampal Satyapal Group (DS Group), WPP Media and MICA have released DCODE 2.0, an updated open-access guide to digital marketing that treats AI as a layer across the entire marketing stack rather than a separate subject. The launch was announced on September 23.
For marketing teams trying to separate signal from noise in AI, that positioning is the point. Instead of another AI basics module, the playbook folds artificial intelligence into search, paid media, performance marketing, content and creative.
AI is not a chapter anymore
DS Group’s Rajeev Jain, Senior Vice President, Corporate Marketing, said AI is “fundamentally changing how marketers think, create, engage and measure.” The playbook’s response is to make AI an integral part of the modern marketer’s toolkit, not an add-on.
WPP Media South Asia CEO Prasanth Kumar framed the shift as moving “from a world of fragmented digital channels to an increasingly connected, intelligent and adaptive ecosystem.” That matters because the hardest part of AI adoption is rarely the tool; it is knowing where in the customer journey to use it.
What’s inside DCODE 2.0
- AI applied across search, paid media, performance marketing, content and creative.
- A refreshed Paid, Owned and Earned (POE) framework for planning and execution.
- Academic rigour from MICA combined with WPP Media’s industry expertise.
- An open-access format for corporate teams, agencies, practitioners and students.
MICA’s Director and CEO Jaya Deoras Deshmukh described the ambition as pairing “smart technology with human intuition” to help marketers imagine possibilities beyond what already exists. The playbook is intended to be updated periodically as tools and consumer behaviour change.
The India numbers that explain the timing
The launch arrives against a clear structural shift. According to WPP Media’s TYNY 2025 report cited at the announcement, India’s total advertising revenue is projected to grow 9.7% in 2026 to Rs 2,01,891 crore. Digital, including digital extensions of all media, is expected to account for 68.1% of total ad revenue.
Within digital, commerce-led advertising is the fastest-growing segment at 24.2%, driven by retail media, quick commerce and social commerce. Other digital channels are projected to grow at 11.1%, while TV is projected at 3.1% and audio at 1.5%. AI-powered search, voice and agentic discovery are projected to grow at 8%, reinforcing why AI now belongs across the playbook, not in a silo.
What to do with it
DCODE 2.0 is most useful as a team resource, not a shelf document. Access the playbook, pick one channel, and map where AI can realistically improve planning, creative testing or measurement.
Then use the refreshed POE framework to audit whether your paid, owned and earned investments reinforce each other. With commerce-led media growing faster than the rest of digital, pay particular attention to retail media, quick commerce and social commerce opportunities.
Source: The Tribune
