DDB Worldwide and DDB Latina today have reopened the doors of award-winning Brazilian agency DM9, under the leadership of four veteran execs, including creative vet Icaro Doria. Doria returns to his native country after serving in top creative posts at agencies including DDB New York, Arnold and most recently, Hill Holliday in Boston. 

Back in 2017, upon DDB Worldwide’s acquisition of DM9 parent ABC Group, DM9 merged with ABC Group’s Sunset to become SunsetDDB. DM9 had earned the spotlight for its iconic work with brands including FedEx and Johnson&Johnson. The agency garnered Agency of the Year awards in 1998, 1999 and 2009 and Cyber Agency of the Year in 2005 at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

Doria will co-lead the new team in Brazil as president and chief creative officer. After leaving his native Brazil, Doria had held chief creative roles in North America at DDB NY, Arnold and Hill Holliday. Prior to that, he had founded Wieden+Kennedy's office in Brazil in 2010 and served as its creative leader for five years. Doria had also been a creative partner of the late NBA legend Kobe Bryant on several projects, including marketing around Bryant’s retirement in 2016.

The new DM9 will be home to 250 employees and a roster of clients including Ambev, Claro and Stellantis. CEO of SunsetDDB Pipo Calazans joins as CEO, along with former COO and CEO of TracyLocke Brazil Thomas Tagliaferro as chief operating officer. Marcia Aguirre, former VP of strategy at Sunset DDB, joins DM9 as chief strategy officer. 

Doria noted that landing at DM9 is a full-circle moment for him, as the agency was what made him fall in love with advertising. Since DM9 was last in operation, the pandemic upended the ad world, hitting Brazil especially hard. Doria noted that the disruption made clear the need for new creative solutions, paving the way for an evolved DM9. 

“There are a lot of new needs, a lot of new complexities," Doria said. "Clients, specifically in Brazil, are in need more than ever to be able to deal with one shop that can deliver critical data and disruptive thinking throughout all of the consumer journey."

DM9 will be looking to stand out among competitors by upholding DDB's new brand positioning of "Unexpected Works," centered on ideas that break through creatively but are also effective—a platform the agency introduced on a sheep farm in Garston, New Zealand. "We need to bring ways to make client’s life easier, to find ways to be part of people’s lives in a more meaningful way and in a way that you can be nimble and adapt to change—way faster than we had to do before," Doria said.

"I feel extremely happy and inspired to have the great DM9 come back to Brazil," President and CEO of DDB Latina Juan Carlos Ortiz said in a statement. "It is a DM9 version 3.0 with its DNA in creativity and culture, but looking towards a new moment in the industry, the world, and how creativity impacts and connects people's lives today."