Vila Rica is a
Brazilian brand of
cigarette
A cigarette is a narrow cylinder containing a combustible material, typically tobacco, that is rolled into Rolling paper, thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end, causing it to smolder; the resulting smoke is orally inhale ...
s, currently owned and manufactured by the
R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company
The R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company (RJR) is an American tobacco manufacturing company based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Founded by namesake R. J. Reynolds in 1875, it is the largest tobacco company in the United States. The company is a w ...
.
History
The brand was founded in the 1960s and quickly became popular after the Brazilian
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
player
Gérson starred for an ad for the cigarette brand in 1976.
Advertising
Various poster ads were made to promote Vila Rica in the 1970s. In some, Gérson was included, while in others he was absent.
A few TV adverts were also made, which include the famous slogan ''"I like to take advantage of everything, right? You too take advantage!"''.
Controversy
Vila Rica and Gérson
In 1976, a commercial of the Vila Rica brand was shown on Brazilian television, starring the then famous football player Gérson praising the brand with the infamous slogan: ''"Gosto de levar vantagem em tudo, certo? Leve vantagem você também!"'' (''"I like to take advantage of everything, right? You too take advantage!"''). The line became instantly associated with the traditional Brazilian disregard for laws and social rules as well as
bribery
Bribery is the corrupt solicitation, payment, or Offer and acceptance, acceptance of a private favor (a bribe) in exchange for official action. The purpose of a bribe is to influence the actions of the recipient, a person in charge of an official ...
and
corruption
Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense that is undertaken by a person or an organization that is entrusted in a position of authority to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's gain. Corruption may involve activities ...
maneauvers, informally named ''"
Jeitinho
(, in Portuguese language, Portuguese) is a method of accomplishing a goal by circumventing or bending the rules or transgressing social conventions. The concept is a deeply ingrained part of Brazilian culture.
Overview
The word "jeitinho" is ...
brasileiro"'' (''"the Brazilian way"''), and the expression is largely used to this day. The tagline was eventually phrased the ''"Lei de Gérson"'' (
Gérson's law In Brazilian media culture, Gérson's law is a principle in which a certain person or company gains advantages indiscriminately, without caring about ethical or moral issues.
Gérson's Law has come to express highly characteristic and unflattering ...
), although he later publicly regretted having starred in the ad, claiming his association with such acts did not reflect his true personality.
The reason why R.J. Reynolds chose Gérson for the advert was because he, besides having just won the 1970 FIFA World Cup, when Brazil became three-time world champion, he was an inveterate smoker who lit a cigarette during concentration and training," says Jaques Lewkowicz, a partner at Lew ' Lara, who at the time signed the campaign with José Monserrat Filho. The idea of using the motto of ''"take advantage"'' came from football: If a player suffers foulness and the ball is with him, there is no need to stop the match, and the game continues. "Gerson took great advantage of this 'law of advantage', and we wanted to insert it into the campaign, with the concept of more cigarettes at a lower cost," recalls Lewkowicz - who did not think of such an overwhelming repercussion.
See also
*
Cigarette
A cigarette is a narrow cylinder containing a combustible material, typically tobacco, that is rolled into Rolling paper, thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end, causing it to smolder; the resulting smoke is orally inhale ...
*
Tobacco smoking
Tobacco smoking is the practice of burning tobacco and ingesting the resulting smoke. The smoke may be inhaled, as is done with cigarettes, or released from the mouth, as is generally done with pipes and cigars. The practice is believed to hav ...
References
{{Reynolds American
R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company brands