Understanding adaptation to digital transformation: evidence from Indian advertising industry

Introduction Digital Transformation (DT) is changing the advertising industry by influencing how professionals design their campaign strategies, cooperate with clients, collaborate with teams, and develop new skills in response to technological and market demands. While the existing literature has primarily focused on consumers and advertising platforms, it has given limited attention to the lived experience of advertising professionals as they adapt to and navigate DT. This study fills this gap by exploring how Indian advertising practitioners comprehend and interpret organizational adaptation to DT. Method The present research employed a qualitative approach, using in-depth semi-structured interviews with 40 advertising professionals selected through purposive sampling across different roles. Data were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis conducted through ATLAS.ti to develop themes explaining how advertising practitioners experience DT. Result The analysis revealed four themes: disruption forces, tensions within the industry, adaptation, and transformation of advertising work. Together, they conceptualize DT as a dynamic and interconnected process rather than a series of isolated changes. The findings revealed tensions centered on technological complexity, extensive consumer data, budget limitations, changing consumer behavior, threats from emerging digital agencies, and a lack of digital talent. In response, professionals are adopting digital tools, embracing flexible work practices, and reorganizing their agency structure to stay agile and competitive. However, as working practices continue to evolve in a digital environment, they generate new tensions that require further adaptation. Discussion A Recursive Tension—Adaptation Framework, a conceptual model, is proposed based on an analysis of Indian Advertising Professionals’ experiences, explaining how professionals within advertising organizations continuously adapt to an evolving digital work environment and offering implications for managing organizational change and workforce development.