Since the 1980s, the IRS uses the Lion image as a symbol of income tax. The advertising campaign created by the DPZ & T Agency in 1979 brought the image of ‘King of the Jungle’ to organizational campaign.
The decision to use the lion as a role in this advertising campaign was taken into consideration, justice, obedience and sentiments in the animal’s strength and defense conditions, according to the history of Income Tax in Brazil from IRS.
Lion’s first organizational part was released in newspapers and magazines in January 1980. The goal is to introduce the lion to the taxpayer. In the same month, the advertising film was aired on television.
From February to May 1980, the lion was used to warn taxpayers about income tax phases. The lion was seen in the organizational campaign of tax officers for 10 (ten) years.
The effect of advertising campaign is included in the dictionaries. Hais defines “Leo” as a body responsible for collecting income tax.
In Aarelio, the term is described as a collection company of this tax. Already the Dictionary of the Brazilian Academy of Letters demonstrates the “lion” as an income tax collection.
“From the concepts emitted from dictionaries, there is a relationship with the lion with income tax and not especially with the IRS. It is also noted that the cat is tied to the breed collection, however, first, the association with the inspection is strong,” said the tax authorities in Brazil’s income tax book.
“Although the IRS is no longer using the lion’s toy, the company’s image is one of the most successful advertising pieces of Brazilian media,” the company adds.
The use of traditional mediums such as television, radio, newspapers and magazines has the ability to address the population of the population, said the branding and marketing teacher at the School of Advertising and Marketing (ESPM) in Maros Bedendo.
The expert explained that this memory was created by the heavy use of the character in advertising inserts connected to a specific context, in this case, to the income tax return.
“This campaign was able to equalize brand communication with a specific situation. So every time they have that specific situation, people remember the brand, and today it is very difficult with media fragmentation.
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