Will there be a genuine energy drink from Japan?

Regain Takes Over Yahoo! Top Page

The recently released Regain Energy Drink had an ad on Yahoo's top page. They've clearly invested a lot of money in it...

With Regain and Reeman now coming together as a carbonated drink, it's clear that boosting recognition through advertising is crucial. But the real question is: when will a truly serious, Japan-originated energy drink finally emerge?

Where Will the Money Be Spent, and How Long Can It Keep Going?

I apologize for this being more of a personal diary entry, but what I'm really hoping for is not from the big manufacturers but from independent, almost venture-style companies. The financial challenges are tough, but I hope they can effectively express their product image with a strong promotion campaign and gradually build brand awareness over several years without losing focus.

The key here isn't just drink recognition; it's brand recognition. Of course, the product will naturally gain more recognition as well, but the lack of explosive growth remains a challenge. Sampling is good, but I think it's hard to convey the full brand image with just that. It works well when you already have an established product and want to expand its reach.

When people start saying, “This energy drink is always doing something crazy,” then perhaps we could see the rise of a third force in the industry. However, as mentioned earlier, without substantial funding, the risk of running out of money is obvious, so I doubt the ideal company to take that risk will emerge anytime soon.

Paying 200 Yen for Brand Power

When a new energy drink is released, it may sell well temporarily as people try it, but how long will that last? There have been so many similar products released, and it's tough to get people to choose yours. That’s why it’s necessary to create a strong motivation for people to choose your product. Red Bull and Monster seem to have this strong motivation, which is why people are willing to pay over 200 yen to buy them.

For large manufacturers, energy drinks are just one of many products, not a flagship product that represents the company. Even though they have large advertising budgets, it seems that they're not investing enough in building the brand power of the drink itself. Increasing recognition to boost sales is still the top priority.

When you think about it, it seems that no energy drink in Japan currently has a strong brand power on its own. Perhaps it's just a trend right now, and they're only selling because they’re energy drinks? (Just asking)

That's why with an independent manufacturer, their drink *is* their brand, and they might be willing to gamble everything on it. Although the chances of failure are high (；´∀｀).