Costa Rican project by the Imperial brand stands out at the world’s most important advertising festival.
From June 16 to 20, the 72nd edition of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is being held in France, an annual event that celebrates creative excellence in the advertising and communications industry. De Vuelta a Casa (Back Home), the Imperial-FIFCO project developed by the in-house agency Joystick, won a Silver Lion at the festival in the Market Disruption Public Relations category, competing against 1,531 campaigns.
In addition, it received two shortlist nominations (the first selection of relevant and impactful projects for each category): Corporate Purpose and Social Responsibility in the Public Relations category and Data Technology in the Creative Data category.
De Vuelta a Casa was created in response to the global problem of sea shell extraction by tourism, which puts marine ecosystems at risk. In Costa Rica, around 6 tons of shells are confiscated at airports every year, which until recently were buried due to the impossibility of accurately identifying their region of origin. Aware of this need, Imperial and FIFCO, as part of their expansive sustainability vision, implemented, together with the University of Costa Rica, AERIS, and the National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC), an artificial intelligence application capable of determining, from a single photograph, whether a shell comes from the Caribbean or the Pacific. This tool, trained with more than 18,500 images, achieves over 90% accuracy and allows the shells to be returned to their natural ecosystem without compromising the ocean’s health.
Imperial released the artificial intelligence model as open source, available for governments, researchers, and environmental organizations to implement in other regions of the world.
The project was led by FIFCO’s creative agency Joystick, which has only been in the market for three years. “Joystick was born to give control back to creativity and let it permeate everything we do. This award has immense value: it represents three years of work, but above all, it celebrates the extraordinary talent that makes up Joystick. It is these people who drive us to grow at an unparalleled pace, to make creativity transcend, and to represent Costa Rica in Cannes today. This is only the beginning. We hold high the name of the most important company in the country, and we will continue to do so,” said Fernando Hidalgo, creative director at Joystick.
This recognition at Cannes Lions validates the power of technology and creativity as a tool for strengthening sustainability. “The impact of this project has been highlighted once again. Among other achievements, we celebrated designing a solution, bringing it to life, returning the first shells to their home, and representing the country at the United Nations Ocean Conference. We are thrilled to see how Imperial continues to highlight Costa Rica’s “Pura Vida”, how Central American creativity is receiving the recognition it deserves, and how the powerful message of De Vuelta a Casa continues to inspire more people,” shared Fabián Loría, Marketing Manager.
Results of the De Vuelta a Casa project
- + 70,400 shells sorted (including the latest volunteer effort in June 2025)
- + 36,000 shells returned to the sea
- + 5 billion earned impressions (reach obtained through third-party generated content)
- More than $5 million in PR value
- Media coverage in more than 75 countries and 5 continents
With De Vuelta a Casa, FIFCO and Imperial consolidate their commitment to expansive sustainability based on applied science, cross-sector partnerships, and citizen participation. Every shell counts, every action brings us closer to healthier, more vibrant, and more resilient oceans.
