Teva, Lava, Kava or just plain java?

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: Abeverage marketer known for pouring money into splashy ads in the traditional media is taking an unconventional approach with a new product.

The decision by the North American division of Pepsi-Cola, part of PepsiCo, is another sign of the growing use of new media to introduce brands in mainstream categories like packaged goods. Such shifts in media-planning habits by companies like PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Kraft Foods, Procter & Gamble and Unilever are the reason that spending for ads online is increasing far faster than for any other medium.

Pepsi-Cola North America is bringing out a line of no-calorie, carbonated beverages named Tava—not to be confused, presumably, with Teva, Lava, Kava or just plain java—with a campaign that is bypassing mainstay media like television and print. Instead, Tava is getting a spirited send-off with its own Web site (tava.com), banner ads, promotions and offbeat stunts like sampling events at popular shops and the delivery of free samples to the employees of prominent companies like Google and MTV.

That would not be an unusual introduction if Tava were inten-ded for the younger consumers who have grown up in a digital world. But the product, which is fruit-flavored and caffeine-free, is being aimed primarily at men and women ages 35 to 49. “There used to be an assumption this target was not online,” said Frank Cooper, vice-president for flavored carbonated soft drinks at Pepsi-Cola North America in Purchase, NY “But there’s a group in that category that’s ‘reborn digital.’ They’ve lived through the change and learned to adapt to it. This consumer spends significant time online, although what they do may differ from the younger consumer.”