CNN Brasil issued a proper criticism towards advert company DM9 and its consumer Whirlpool after it was revealed that section from one in all its broadcasts manipulated utilizing AI appeared in a Cannes Lions Grand Prix-winning case examine video.
In keeping with a CNN Worldwide spokesperson, CNN Brasil took difficulty with the clip however “will take no additional motion” after DM9 publicly apologized for the incident on Wednesday. DM9, based mostly São Paulo, is a part of Omnicom-owned inventive community DDB Worldwide.
The “Environment friendly Method to Pay,” for Whirlpool-owned Consul Home equipment, received the Artistic Information Grand Prix on the 2025 Cannes Lions Worldwide Competition of Creativity. For the reason that win, the work has come below mounting scrutiny from trade insiders, whistleblowers, and competition organizers for its alleged use of AI to govern footage from CNN Brasil.
On Friday, June 20, Cannes Lions launched a proper investigation into the entry. It has not revoked the Grand Prix award on the time of publication.
Cannes Lions didn’t reply to a request to remark in time for publication.
Upon studying of video, CNN Brasil contacted each DM9 and Whirlpool outlining {that a} clip used within the case examine had been manipulated utilizing AI and featured a journalist who left the community in December 2022. In keeping with a CNN Worldwide spokesperson, the difficulty was raised particularly by CNN Brasil, which operates independently below license from CNN Worldwide.
DM9 Apologizes
In a LinkedIn publish titled “Nota de Esclarecimento” (which interprets to “Assertion of Clarification” in English), DM9 acknowledged “a sequence of errors” within the manufacturing and submission of the case video.
In a press release shared with ADWEEK by DDB, co-president and chief inventive officer Icaro Doria assumed full accountability and emphasised that the consumer, Consul, had “no involvement in anyway within the errors.”
“Success is not only the results of expertise and creativity, but additionally of how we work and have interaction with others, grounded in a stable dedication to ethics and integrity,” wrote Pipo Calazans, co-president of DM9.
The company mentioned it’s implementing new safeguards, together with reinforcing inside processes and forming an AI Ethics Committee comprising exterior and unbiased members to supervise its accountable use.
Cannes Lions’ Historical past of Controversy
The DM9 case examine isn’t the primary time a Cannes Lions-winning marketing campaign has unraveled below scrutiny.
In 2010, Cannes disqualified a Grand Prix-winning marketing campaign from Ogilvy Mexico for Scrabble simply 45 minutes earlier than the ceremony, after it was revealed the work had been beforehand entered in 2008—a violation of the competitors’s guidelines.
In 2016, Gray Group Singapore returned a Bronze Lion for its “I Sea” app after critics revealed that the app—which claimed to assist customers spot refugees in misery through dwell satellite tv for pc feeds—didn’t really work. It was pulled from the App Retailer, and Gray’s charity companion, MOAS (Migrant Offshore Assist Station), publicly distanced itself from the marketing campaign.
Each incidents positioned strain on Cannes Lions to strengthen its vetting course of and raised questions in regards to the incentives companies face to overstate—or fabricate—innovation and influence in pursuit of awards. The DM9 case provides urgency to those issues, particularly as AI introduces new methods to govern work.
How DM9’s Marketing campaign Unraveled
“Environment friendly Method to Pay” allowed low-income Brazilian households to buy new, energy-efficient fridges utilizing cash saved on future utility payments. The marketing campaign’s case examine video showcased testimonials, power information, and broader financial impacts—components that helped win over jurors within the Artistic Information class.
However shortly after the win, folks started circulating the video in trade WhatsApp teams. Sources alleged it contained manipulated content material, together with a TED Discuss by North Carolina State Senator DeAndrea Salvador and a CNN Brasil information section. These claims have been additional investigated by media shops and Cannes Lions organizers.
Regardless of the controversy, DM9 left Cannes with 21 Lions, together with 5 Golds and 7 Silvers. The wins helped mother or father community DDB Worldwide reclaim the title of Community of the 12 months, an honor it final received in 2023.
