The DM9 Scandal in Cannes: The Shame that Stained Brazil in Global Advertising
- João Falanga
- Jun 29
- 4 min read
As a Brazilian, I want to believe that there are honest people in this country. But seeing the story below, I'm starting to get worried. Is this always how Brazilians get things? The "little way"?
Don't believe it, here are the articles:
URGENT: DM9 loses Grand Prix in Cannes after case manipulation:
This is an original excerpt published in Exame.com. Read the full article at https://exame.com/marketing/dm9-perde-grand-prix-em-cannes-apos-uso-de-ia-em-video-de-case/?utm_source=copiaecola&utm_medium=Compartilhar
I will explain to you yet another international embarrassment for Brazil.
A victory built on a farce
What was supposed to be a moment of glory for Brazilian advertising turned into a stain that is difficult to clean in just a few hours. The DM9 agency, a symbol of national creativity and belonging to the powerful DDB Worldwide group, saw its Grand Prix in Creative Data at Cannes Lions 2025 summarily revoked . Reason?
Manipulation with artificial intelligence to create a false narrative — simulating data, results and even images of events that never existed.
It wasn’t just an error of judgment. It was a clear case of creative fraud , complete with misleading case footage, altered images, and the use of AI to make up facts that appeared to be true. DM9 tried to paint a parallel reality in order to win one of the industry’s most coveted awards. And it succeeded — until it was exposed.
🧨 When the bubble bursts: from euphoria to shame
The complaint that brought down the house of cards
The house fell with the complaint of a whistleblower who alerted Ad Age about the manipulated content. The scandal gained momentum with the discovery of excerpts extracted and modified from CNN Brasil in the video of the award-winning campaign — something that led the broadcaster itself to formalize a complaint against DM9 and Whirlpool , owner of the Consul brand.
The agency's response was formal, bureaucratic, almost cynical: "errors in production and submission" . As if it were possible to win Cannes with a manipulated video without anyone at the top knowing.
👎 A lost Grand Prix… and much more
Other campaigns were voluntarily withdrawn
After an "in-depth investigation" carried out by the festival itself together with independent auditors and DM9, the decision was made to revoke the Grand Prix . But it didn't stop there: two other winning campaigns were also withdrawn :
“Plastic Blood” for OKA Biotech
“Gold = Death” for Urihi Yanomami
According to the official Cannes Lions statement:
“All parties acknowledge that the level of legitimacy did not meet the necessary standard.”
In plain English? It was all so poorly done and unethical that it couldn't even be maintained with a little bit of effort. The entire package had to be thrown away.
🎯 Cannes reacts: new rules against AI abuses
The scandal forced the festival itself to take drastic measures. Among the new structural measures , the following stand out:
Mandatory declaration of use of AI in any submitted piece
Reinforced Code of Conduct for all participants
Tools for detecting manipulated content
Ethics and Artificial Intelligence Committee to judge abuses
The message was clear: it’s not enough to be creative — you have to be truthful . And if Cannes has its way, using AI to falsify reality will cost you dearly from now on.
🧠 DM9's response: "ethics committee" in a hurry
After seeing its name dragged through the international mud, DM9 announced that it intends to create its own AI Ethics Committee . A laudable initiative — but completely late and reactive.
Trust is built through consistency, not crisis statements. In an industry where reputation is everything, DM9 will now have to rebuild its prestige from scratch . And even if it succeeds, there is no guarantee that the market will soon forget the embarrassment of Cannes 2025.
⚖️ Recidivism? Ghosts of the past resurface
This was not the first time that DM9 found itself at the center of controversy over the legitimacy of its creations. In 2001 , an investigation by Ad Age had already pointed out the use of an alleged "ghost ad" by Parmalat, which had allegedly been broadcast only to meet technical requirements and guarantee a place at Cannes.
Two decades later, the pattern repeats itself . This is no coincidence—it is an operational pattern . A modus operandi that values the trophy over the truth, and self-promotion over ethics.
It reminded me of that case of ex-BBB Juliete, who I refuse to call a singer, in the controversy that involved a Bauducco advertising campaign.
I will also leave the article about this below.
🚫 The price of wanting to cheat the system
DM9 tried to undermine the trust of the global creative market with advertising deepfakes, data manipulations and invented narratives. It did this to gain prominence, status, headlines. It gained all of these things — but for the wrong reasons .
The consequence?
Loss of prizes
Leadership exit
Credibility destroyed
Name associated with fraud
All for an insatiable thirst for recognition. An agency that, instead of inspiring, now serves as a negative example in advertising schools .
📉 Lessons for the Brazilian advertising market
Transparency is not optional. It is a prerequisite.
AI is a tool, not a shortcut. Using it to forge reality is reputational suicide.
Awards are not moral validation. Cannes does not make ethical what is born wrong.
He who lives by appearances dies of scandal.
📌 Conclusion: a stumble that echoes worldwide
DM9's downfall in Cannes is not just the embarrassment of one agency. It is a red alert for all Brazilian advertising, which often confuses creativity with cleverness , and boldness with a lack of limits.
The world is watching. AI may generate ideas, but it is no substitute for ethics, commitment to truth, or respect for the public . And if it is used as a weapon to win festivals, let there be more Cannes Lions to cut it mercilessly.
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