DM9 São Paulo Co-President and CCO Icaro Doria steps down following Cannes Lions controversy: DM9 Grand Prix winner has been withdrawn

As reported by Adweek, Icaro Doria, Co-President and Chief Creative Officer of Brazilian agency DM9, part of Omnicom’s DDB network, has stepped down in the wake of controversy surrounding its Cannes Lions Grand Prix-winning campaign ‘Efficient Way to Pay’ for Whirlpool-owned Consul Appliances.

The campaign, which won the Creative Data Grand Prix at the 2025 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, has come under scrutiny for allegedly using AI-manipulated footage from a CNN Brasil broadcast without authorisation. CNN Brasil filed a formal complaint against DM9 and Whirlpool, though it would take no further action after DM9 publicly apologised for the incident.

DM9 acknowledged “a series of errors” in the production and submission of the case video. The agency announced the implementation of new safeguards, including reinforcing internal processes and forming an AI Ethics Committee comprising external and independent members to oversee its responsible use.

Despite the controversy, DM9 secured 21 Lions at the festival, including five Golds and seven Silvers, contributing to parent network DDB Worldwide being named Cannes Lions Network of the Year for 2025.

This morning, Cannes Lions has confirmed that, after consultation with the entrant company, DM9, the Creative Data Lions Grand Prix winner, ‘Efficient Way to Pay’ for Consul, has been withdrawn.

A statement from Cannes Lions said this follows the discovery that AI-generated and manipulated content was used within the case film to simulate real world events and campaign outcomes, resulting in the jury being presented with inaccurate information during their deliberations.

This breaches the Cannes Lions entry rules on factual representation, and undermines the trust placed in the work by our juries and the wider community. Cannes Lions exists to celebrate creativity that is real, representative, and responsible.

After a thorough investigation and review, conducted in consultation with the relevant parties, and Cannes Lions’ independent auditors, we concluded that the only appropriate course of action was to mutually withdraw the entry from the Festival, and therefore withdraw the Grand Prix and associated prizes.

As an extra measure, and following a thorough internal review, DM9 has chosen to withdraw the entries ‘Plastic Blood’ for OKA Biotech, and ‘Gold = Death’ for Urihi Yanomami. All parties acknowledge that the level of legitimacy does not meet the necessary standard. All prizes will be withdrawn as a result.

Looking ahead, Cannes Lions will introduce a series of enhanced measures to ensure that the awards remain robust in the era of synthetic content, media, and generative AI. These include:

Commitment An enhanced Code of Conduct that must be signed by all participating organisations.

Transparency Mandatory AI disclosure as part of the entry process, with non-disclosure constituting grounds for disqualification or withdrawal.

Detection Content detection tools may be used to help identify manipulated case films and materials.

Adjudication A dedicated review committee comprised of experts in AI, ethics, and content integrity.

These measures will be supported by formal enforcement procedures, including potential disqualification, public disclosure, or award withdrawal where necessary.

These new and enhanced measures reinforce the Festival’s commitment to honouring work that upholds the highest standards of truth, fairness, transparency, and creative excellence.

It is not known yet if these developments will impact on the DDB Network being named Cannes Lions Network of the Year.

Campaign Brief has reached out to Cannes Lions for clarification.

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