AD Agencies
The Advertising Club’s annual digital review D:CODE to be presented by Google returns for the fourth edition
Mumbai: Following the phenomenal success of the first three editions of Annual Digital Review D:CODE, The Advertising Club now announces the 2024 edition of D:CODE, Presented by Google. Scheduled to take place on 28 November in Gurgaon at Google’s India HQ, the fourth edition of D:CODE will witness industry stalwarts debate and deliberate on the theme – ‘D:CODE THE NOW: How AI is Revolutionizing Creative, Media, and the User Landscape in India’.
The global marketing and advertising industry has continued to evolve in an accelerated manner since the advent of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Harnessing the power of AI has become increasingly important for brands and agencies in the digital world. D:CODE 2024 will bring together 9 industry experts, including a surprise speaker who will discuss how AI is impacting the marketing and user landscape. D:CODE 2024 will witness participation from tech giants, marketing wizards, market research agencies and advertisers and brands.
The following 8 leaders in addition to a surprise speaker will get 10 minutes each to share insights, present their case, showcase their work and their industry inspirations at D:CODE 2024:
1 Varun Mayya, CEO and Founder at AEOS
2 Jaspreet Bindra, Founder at AI&Beyond and Tech Whisperer Ltd
3 Manish Gupta, Director at Google DeepMind India
4 Kavita Nair, Strategic Advisor at Skewb Analytics
5 Soumya Mohanty, Managing Director and Chief Client Officer at Kantar
6 Siddharth Srinivasan, Head of India at ElevenLabs
7 Shubhranshu Singh, Chief Marketing Officer, CVBU at Tata Motors
8 Azeez Gupta, Founder at Rocket Learning
Speaking on bringing D:CODE back for its fourth edition, The Advertising Club president Rana Barua said, “The Advertising Club’s D:CODE was launched as an engaging knowledge platform that aims to inspire and inform the industry. As per market reports, over three quarter of CMOs are already using generative AI and over the next 3 years the adoption is inevitable. Therefore, it is imperative for us to plan for an AI ready marketing eco-system which is what D:Code aims to address in this chapter. We have curated the best minds who will be driving this narrative along with The Advertising Club for an AI positive future.”
D:CODE chairperson Mansha Tandon said, “AI is driving innovation, increasing efficiency and helping brands and agencies to explore new ways of consumer engagement and communication. With AI as the central theme, D:CODE’s 2024 edition will turn the spotlight on how our industry is leveraging the power of AI, thus helping brands to shine and create clutter-breaking narratives. Collaboratively our 9 distinguished speakers will cover a wide spectrum of all things AI. We look forward to an evening filled with learning and knowledge sharing at D:CODE 2024.”
AD Agencies
AdTrust Summit 2026 to examine trust, AI and Gen Alpha in advertising
Two-day summit in Mumbai to explore ethics, regulation and the future of advertising trust
MUMBAI: At a time when advertising is navigating a delicate trust deficit, the Advertising Standards Council of India is preparing to bring the industry to the table. On 17 and 18 March, the body will host the inaugural AdTrust Summit 2026 in Mumbai, a two-day gathering designed to spark conversation around responsibility, regulation and credibility in modern advertising.
The summit, to be held at the Jio World Convention Centre in Bandra Kurla Complex, will bring together leaders from advertising, media, technology and policy to examine how brands can build trust in a marketplace increasingly shaped by algorithms, influencers and artificial intelligence.
In an age of deepfakes, dark patterns and blurred lines between content and commerce, the question is no longer just how brands capture attention, but whether audiences believe what they see. The AdTrust Summit aims to unpack that challenge.
Day one will turn its attention to the youngest digital natives. Titled Decoding Gen Alpha, the session will unveil ‘What the Sigma?’, a study by ASCI and Futurebrands Consulting that explores how children growing up in a hyper-digital environment encounter advertising and commercial messaging.
The report presentation will be delivered by Santosh Desai, founder and director at Think9 Consumer Technologies and a social commentator known for his insights into consumer behaviour. The discussion that follows will attempt to decode how Gen Alpha consumes media, interacts with brands and navigates the growing overlap between entertainment and marketing.
In a move that mirrors the subject itself, two Gen Alpha students will also join the conversation, offering a rare perspective from the generation advertisers are trying to understand.
The second panel of the day will shift the focus from observation to implication, asking what the report’s findings mean for brands, agencies and society. Speakers include Karthik Srinivasan, communications strategy consultant; Preeti Vyas, president at Mythik; and Abigail Dias, associate president planning at Ogilvy. The session will be moderated by Sonali Krishna, editor at ET Brand Equity.
Day two moves from insight to regulation. Under the theme From Compliance to Trust, ASCI will release its Ad Law Compendium, a comprehensive guide to India’s advertising regulations.
The day will open with a keynote by Sudhanshu Vats, chairman at ASCI and managing director at Pidilite Industries, followed by a chief guest address by Sanjay Jaju, secretary at the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
Legal experts from Khaitan & Co., including Haigreve Khaitan, senior partner, and Tanu Banerjee, partner, will present an overview of the current advertising law landscape in India and examine whether existing frameworks are equipped to deal with emerging technologies and formats.
Subsequent panels will explore issues increasingly shaping the industry’s ethical compass. Conversations will range from the limits of persuasive design and the rise of dark patterns, to the growing scrutiny brands face from digital creators and consumer watchdogs.
One session will also feature Revant Himatsingka, widely known online as the Food Pharmer, whose critiques of packaged food brands have sparked debate around transparency and corporate accountability.
Later discussions will turn toward media literacy among Gen Alpha, asking how children can be equipped to navigate a digital world where gaming, content and commerce are becoming indistinguishable.
The summit will conclude with a final panel on the future of advertising, bringing together voices from agencies, legal circles and technology platforms to discuss how innovation, intelligence and integrity can coexist.
For an industry built on persuasion, trust has always been its quiet currency. But as audiences grow more sceptical and digital ecosystems more complex, that currency is under pressure.
Events like the AdTrust Summit suggest the advertising world knows it cannot afford to take credibility for granted. The real challenge now is turning conversation into commitment.
