Breaking: Cannes Lions 2025 Grand Prix Winner Under Investigation Over Alleged Doctored Case Study Video
In a dramatic twist following the conclusion of the global creative industry’s most prestigious award platform, the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has launched an official investigation into one of its 2025 Grand Prix winners, São Paulo-based DM9, an Omnicom Group-owned agency, for allegedly submitting a doctored case study video to support its award-winning entry.
The campaign under scrutiny is “Efficient Way to Pay”, developed by DM9 for Consul Appliances, which won the highly coveted Creative Data Grand Prix on Wednesday, June 18, at the 72nd Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. The campaign had also bagged a Bronze Lion in the Creative Commerce category earlier in the week, making its wins a talking point across Latin America and the global advertising world—until now.
According to a report first published by Ad Age, an anonymous whistleblower submitted a video claiming that DM9’s case study presentation—central to its Cannes Lions entry—contained fabricated or manipulated elements. Among the allegations are that a customer testimonial included in the case study was altered, a TED Talk delivered by North Carolina State Senator DeAndrea Salvador was repurposed or misleadingly edited and a CNN Brazil news report was inaccurately represented or misattributed.
These elements, allegedly used to add weight and global credibility to the campaign’s impact and effectiveness, now form the basis of the ongoing investigation.
Reacting to the growing controversy, Ícaro Doria, Chief Creative Officer at DM9, confirmed the existence of an investigation in a brief comment to Ad Age. While declining to go into specific details, Doria maintained the agency’s stance that the “work is very legit.”
If the allegations are substantiated, DM9 could face disqualification, and the Grand Prix could be rescinded—a rare but not unprecedented move in the festival’s 72-year history.
The award-winning campaign for Consul Appliances was celebrated for its innovative use of data to address affordability challenges in Brazil. The idea—allowing low-income customers to pay for appliances via installments based on their energy consumption—was lauded as a “game-changer in socially inclusive commerce” by jurors.
According to the case study presented to Cannes Lions, the campaign leveraged real-time energy usage data, predictive analytics, and behavioral modeling to personalize payment plans. The result, the agency claimed, was increased access to durable appliances for underserved households and reduced financial defaults for the brand.
This controversy is not without precedent. The Cannes Lions Festival has in the past been forced to review or revoke awards following allegations of fraudulent entries, including non-existent campaigns, mocked-up data, or ads that never actually ran. These instances have historically sparked calls for stricter submission vetting and ethical standards across the creative awards ecosystem.
One such case is in 2010 whenjudges were forced to spectacularly strip a grand prix winner of its title under an hour before the awards ceremony was due to start. Marc Tutssel, the head of the then 19-strong jury judging the press advertising category, was forced to strip Ogilvy Mexico of its grandprix because it had failed to even make the shortlist when the campaign was submitted in 2008.
But this case is particularly sensitive because it involves data, a category that reflects empirical evidence, real-world results, and measurable impact. If the allegations prove true, it could undermine not just DM9’s reputation, but confidence in the entire Creative Data Lions category.