Análise dos termos bio e tônico presentes no produto Biotônico Fontoura

Abstract

Scientific terms have been explored in recent years by marketers as an advertising resource to characterize a product as being innovative and of better quality. Although apparently new this resource was already used in Brazil since the beginning of the twentieth century. An example of an industrialized product that uses scientific terms in its packaging is the Biotônico Fontoura, which, for our experience and interest, was defined as an object of research. In this way, in the work presented here we try to understand the constitution of the product name Biotônico Fontoura, name attributed by Monteiro Lobato, a friend and work colleague of Candido Fontoura. Although the four plant extracts present in the Biotônico Fontoura product have different pharmacological activities - some of them related to the effects of metabolism improvement -, the stimulating effects, as well as other pharmacological activities were not explored in the Biotônico Fontoura product advertisements. The terms iron and phosphorus were extensively explored in advertisements, even commercial ones from the 1980s. From the research it was possible to understand that the genesis of the name Biotônico Fontoura is due to the presence of substances with tonic (stimulant) properties, both inorganic and organic, the latter being obtained from the plant extracts Aloe perryi, Commiphora myrrha, Myristica fragrans and Cinnamomum zeylanicum, hence the contribution of the term Bio. Thus, the name BioTônico is not a mere suggestion of Monteiro Lobato, but reflects the composition of the product, which is constituted by mineral supplements (inorganic compounds of iron and phosphorus) and vegetal extracts, that in association produce the effects attributed to the Biotônico Fontoura. The great acceptance of the Biotônico Fontoura product is due to the innumerable advertisements produced at different times, which have always sought to show this product as being "good for all ages", establishing relationships with beauty, strength, health and good yield school and in sports. Apparently, the new version of the Biotônico Fontoura product launched in 2017, despite the information on the label "New packaging the same formula", no longer contain the plant extracts that were part of its composition since its first formulation in 1910. In this way, the term Bio present in the formation of the product name Biotônico Fontoura loses its function. We believe that the maintenance of the name is due to historical factors, which are related to the use and acceptance of this product for generations.