Pepsi-Cola North America is bringing out a line of no-calorie, carbonated beverages named Tava 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. Tava--which is fruit-flavored and caffeine-free--is being aimed primarily at men and women 35 to 49. Pepsi believes that there is a big enough segment of that demographic that is 'reborn digital,' according to Frank Cooper, vice president for flavored carbonated soft drinks, …

The steady increase of working women has been a boon to restaurants for five decades, but that growth has been leveling off since 1999, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The result is less money in the family budget, more time for women to cook, and less trips to restaurants. Indeed, the number of restaurant visits that Americans make annually has flattened out, and consumers have increased the number of meals they make at home. Last year, 207 restaurant meals were purchased per person, down from a peak of 211 in 2001, according to NPD Group. Meanwhile, …

Michael Mendenhall, Hewlett-Packard's new CMO, believes more advertising services will move to the Web in coming years. For example, he says HP's Logoworks--a small-business provider of logos, stationery, brochures and Web design--uses the Long Tail of the Web to give the assignment to a number of designers who present the customer with a design. The process is much cheaper than using traditional branding shops, he says. Mendenhall also says that HP has developed a device that can reduce the amount of energy used by computers in data centers, and that it is thinking about a push to encourage consumers …

Many well-known "natural" and "organic" products--including items in the Kiss My Face, Alba, Seventh Generation and Nature's Gate lines--contain a cancer-causing chemical that is a byproduct of petrochemicals used in manufacturing, according to test results released by the Organic Consumers Assn. Of the 100 soaps, shampoos and other consumer products tested, 47 had detectable levels of 1,4-dioxane, which the Environmental Protection Agency has declared a probable human carcinogen because it causes cancer in lab animals. Most traditional soaps and shampoos contain 1,4-dioxane. But the discovery that the chemical is present in many housecleaning and personal care products that are …

Wild Berry Incense, which sells about 50 million sticks of incense a year, has come a long way from the front porch where, in 1971, founder Marc Biales dunked a fistful of sticks into a fragrance to sell at his Wild Berry store in Oxford, Ohio. In January 2007, an independent buyer for Wal-Mart called to see if Wild Berry could ramp up production to sell at Wal-Mart. Biales knew that Wal-Mart sales would bring a big increase in the number of retail outlets and probably lead to surging revenues--maybe even offer a shot at one day selling …

Revlon is counting on a flurry of new products and glamorous advertising to kick off a revival of its 76-year-old namesake brand, which suffered neglect as the company tried to balance too many initiatives. An ad blitz featuring Halle Berry introducing a line of makeup infused with minerals and Jessica Alba touting a new foundation that lets consumers' customize their shade marks Revlon's first major initiatives since the company's Vital Radiance cosmetics line aimed at older women flopped 18 months ago. Focusing on Revlon's core brand "should have always been the centerpiece of our strategy," says David Kennedy, …

Chrysler's new vice chairman, James E. Press, is a veteran of 37 years with Toyota who distinguished himself as a serious salesman of sensible Camrys and Corollas. Steeped in Toyota's customer-driven culture of continuous improvement, Press had been the steady hand behind Toyota's methodical expansion in the U.S. Now he's trying to bring stability to a company known for stomach-churning roller-coaster rides through boom and bust cycles. "I view it as mission impossible," says Jack Trout, president of Trout & Partners. Chrysler is shrinking, with a 13% share of the American market. But Press says that Chrysler's size can …