In a move to streamline and strengthen digital marketing practices in India, Dharampal Satyapal Group (DS Group), one of the country’s FMCG conglomerates, has partnered with WPP Media to launch DCODE, the guide to digital marketing.
DCODE blends academic rigour with real-world application. It provides marketers with structured systems, processes, and templates that cover every critical aspect of digital marketing, including paid media, social media, influencer collaborations, search engine optimization (SEO), and online reputation management (ORM).
The playbook is designed for a wide audience of marketers, agencies, media planners, students, and digital enthusiasts and will be freely available for download. To ensure it remains relevant in a fast-evolving ecosystem, DCODE will be updated regularly with the latest best practices.
The launch comes at a pivotal time for India’s media and advertising industry, which is projected to grow by 7% in 2025 to reach Rs 1,64,137 crore.
Within this, digital advertising is set to expand at 11.5%, accounting for nearly 60% of the market share and contributing over Rs 10,225 crore in incremental ad spend.
However, challenges such as fragmentation, inconsistent methodologies, and inefficiencies continue to affect the sector. DS Group and WPP Media aim to bridge these gaps and establish a benchmark resource for the industry.
To understand the vision behind DCODE, its target audience, and the key findings from this initiative, we spoke with Rajeev Jain, Senior Vice President, Corporate Marketing, DS Group, and Amin Lakhani, President, Client Solutions, WPP Media South Asia.
Edited Excerpts:
Q] What was the need for DS Group to fund a digital marketing playbook at this stage?
Rajeev: Digital penetration is increasing rapidly, and marketing activities today span across social media, trade media, SEO, influencer marketing, and more. Each comes with its own set of data points, analyses, and complexities.
We noticed that, at times, our teams were mixing formats and analyses, which reduced planning efficiency. Hence, we decided to consolidate frameworks, data points, and analysis formats into one structured reference point. DCODE will enable more efficient planning, especially given the growing investments in digital.
Q] Does this playbook use only DS Group’s experience as a sample, or is it designed more broadly?
Amin: When we began, the intention was to keep it client-specific. But as the process evolved, we realised the framework could serve a much wider purpose.
Digital media is complex and fragmented, and India still lacks an industry-recognized measurement system. That’s why we opened this up to the larger ecosystem. Today, DCODE is meant not just for DS Group, but also for colleagues, partners, students, professionals, and companies entering digital media.
This is the beginning of that journey. We want the industry to participate by sharing feedback, ideas, and suggestions. Over time, DCODE will evolve into a stronger, more refined reference point.
Q] Rajeev, why did you choose WPP as your partner for this project?
Rajeev: We found WPP to be the right partner because of their experience, maturity, and structured approach. Their excitement matched ours, and together we created a framework that ensures rigor, clarity, and attention to detail across planning and deployment.
Q] What does DCODE contain in terms of methodology?
Rajeev: It’s a comprehensive process, starting right from the client brief. The playbook covers:
- How briefs should be structured (with formats and KPIs clearly defined)?
- Academic learnings combined with practical applications.
- Best practices for execution to ensure efficiency.
- A standardised glossary of terminologies, since digital marketing jargon often creates confusion.
It’s not a final or static document. It will continue evolving with industry inputs. But at one place, professionals will now find structured knowledge and frameworks.
Q] Digital now commands nearly 70% of ad spend but remains fragmented. What advice would you give to someone new to the digital ecosystem?
Amin: The first step is to access the playbook. Start with the basics, apply the building blocks, and build from there. We’ve included pragmatic applications like sample briefs, data templates, and brand priorities that can help beginners and professionals alike.
This is just the beginning of a long journey, and we are confident it will evolve further.
Q] How important is digital marketing for DS Group?
Rajeev: Digital has become critical because consumers are spending maximum time online. The population engaging with digital platforms is growing daily, and brands must evolve accordingly.
For DS Group, digital is no longer optional it’s central to how we reach and engage our audiences.
