Goafest now about fraternity, knowledge exchange, good sessions: Jitender Dabas, Cheil X

At the sidelines of Goa Fest, Cheil X CEO Jitender Dabas laid out his ambitious vision for transforming the agency into a future-ready force, blending creativity with cutting-edge technology. 

Speaking candidly during an interaction, Dabas highlighted how the advertising and marketing industry stands at an inflection point driven by technological disruption.

“Before I talk about plans for the company, I should talk about where the industry is headed,” Dabas began. “We are at a very pivotal time. Technology has started to do a lot of what we charge our clients for.”

Central to Dabas’s vision for Cheil X is the convergence of creativity and technology. 

“The first day I walked into Cheil, you know it says ‘creativity plus technology’ at the reception itself,” he recalled. “Cheil is at the cutting edge of the combination of creativity and technology in terms of its capabilities.”

He emphasised that the agency's integrated services and acquired capabilities position it to lead in a rapidly transforming landscape. 

“My job is to take all the stuff that we have and figure out where the clients are headed. Clients are facing fragmentation due to technology, and they are looking for partners who can provide integrated solutions.”

Dabas made his goal clear: “The vision is to create Cheil X into the agency of the future. We want to solve client problems using the power of creativity and technology.”

He stressed that this isn’t just rhetoric. “Everybody might say that, but what we have at Cheil are the capabilities that can drive that.”

He further elaborated on how consumer behavior has changed: “Decision-making is getting far more muddled. It’s become non-linear. That, I feel, is where Cheil has an advantage.”

Touching on competition and Cheil X’s differentiation, Dabas said, “There aren’t many in the current market. There are agencies good at conventional forms of advertising, but the medium is changing. The persuasion model has changed.”

Referring to their work with Samsung, he said: “It’s one of the most well-oiled marketing services machines that we have.”

With mergers and acquisitions reshaping the agency ecosystem, Dabas offered a broader view. “In any industry, when technology crashes into its core, it leads to a power shift,” he said. “It happened in entertainment — from big studios to Netflix. It happened in automobiles — from General Motors to Tesla and BYD. There are new leaders now. That is where we are.”

He believes the trend is just beginning. “This will only accelerate. Some of these moves are for survival, some for future growth. Maybe more are for survival right now.”

Reflecting on Goafest’s evolution, Dabas observed: “They’re doing good things. Goafest now is not about the Abbeys. It is about fraternity meeting, knowledge exchange, good sessions.”

Looking ahead, he expressed hope that the festival would focus more on strategy and infrastructure than just campaigns. “It should not be about great campaigns. It should be about whether we have business models or talent models ready for the future.”