As is always the case each year following the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity, a “scandal” has erupted. This year it’s between Omnicom and WPP with the former claiming the latter is breaking rules by upping — sans Cannes certification — GroupM award claims from 16 on June 20 to 45 on June 27.
While all involved agencies to need to be listed at the time the work is submitted, GroupM says Cannes Lions rules also allow for agencies to be added to winning entries after the fact allowing for the occasional oversight. GroupM claims the math will makes sense when the official revised winners list is released later this month.
But Omnicom CEO Mainardo de Nardis won’t have any of it claiming GroupM “decided to rewrite history after the event making a mockery of the whole thing.”
de Nardis has reached out to Cannes Lions CEO Philip Thomas and Chairman Terry Savage for clarification and for them to decide who’s right.
