Meanwhile, LePub took disciplinary action against employees responsible for presenting misleading and unverified results in a case study film without client approval in a Bronze Lion-winning campaign for New Balance and São Paulo FC.
Work from Gut Amsterdam, Talented India, and FCB India also came under scrutiny for allegedly misrepresenting results or overstating agency contributions in their submissions.Â
In response to the controversies, Cannes introduced new global integrity standards that are set to take effect for 2026 submissions. They include a dual-layer fact-checking system using AI and human review; mandatory senior sign-offs on entries from both agency and client; clear rules around synthetic media; and a new Integrity Council to oversee escalated cases.
Agencies found to have submitted deliberately misleading work may face a ban of up to three years.