Coca-Cola has introduced a bit of Southern discomfort to the Canadian soft-drink market with the launch of Barq’s Root Beer, a u.s. heritage brand that eschews the syrupy sweetness of most soda drinks for an earthy bitterness: the distinctive Barq’s bite.

The ‘bite’ is a combination of more carbonation, less sugar and, unlike most root beer products, no foamy head. Coca-Cola marketers call it personality.

‘Barq’s is a change-of-pace beverage,’ says Brad Snyder, Barq’s brand manager for Coca-Cola Canada. ‘The positioning is an unusual and unique taste, but also an unconventional image: not clownish, but a little bit on the edge.’ Snyder says the target market is 18- to 24-year-old males who, presumably, are more likely to experiment with new tastes.

Barq’s pre-Coke promotions ­ the company was purchased by Coca-Cola in 1995 ­ included lick-n-stick tattoos of the brand logo, but Coke’s promotional approach in Canada will follow essentially the same route as the American cross-country launch.

A national tv campaign by Toronto agency MacLaren-McCann using elements of the u.s. spots will break in August and September; meanwhile a product sampling program began in major Canadian markets on Canada Day, with sampling teams or ‘Barq’s Brigades’ inciting people to’Bark for Barq’s.’

‘Personality’ brands like Barq’s are well established in the United States. Barq’s was created in 1898 in Biloxi, Miss. by Edward C. Barq, Sr., and was sold primarily in the Gulf States until its purchase by Coke.

Since then, the cola giant has been aggressively marketing its aquisition across the u.s.

‘It’s obvious to us that consumer tastes have become far more discerning,’ says Snyder. ‘Young consumers know what they want, and they’re looking for brands that not only deliver on taste, they’re looking for brands that are consistent with their image of themselves or their world view. We expect the Canadian response to be very strong.’

Barq’s Root Beer, Diet Root Beer and Cream Soda are on grocery and convenience store shelves now in 2-litre bottles, 600 ml bottles and 12-can packs across the country.