Monster Energy Absolutely Zero will be renewed in late April 2017

On April 1st, Monster Energy Japan suddenly tweeted an image that seemed like a new product. Until the information was officially released on the 3rd, enthusiasts were guessing what the new product might be. In the end, it was announced that it was a renewal of Ab Zero. Well, that makes sense, I guess.

Not a New Flavor, But Not a Disappointment Either

This is the new image for Ab Zero. It has a different color and design compared to the Ab Zero series released in the U.S. If this design is what gets released, it will be the first time this design is available worldwide. Personally, I didn’t feel too disappointed by this outcome.

By the way, this is the current Ab Zero in the U.S. as of 2017. It has different colors and patterns compared to the image released by Monster Energy Japan on the 3rd. I think that's why there was so much hype around new flavor predictions.

That was fun, though, wasn’t it?

The Fun of Predictions Before the Official Announcement

As a premise, I think about 99% of people’s predictions were that it was the Ab Zero renewal Σ(´∀｀；)

However, there was a lot of excitement and speculation on Twitter, with some enthusiasts wondering, "What if it's actually a new product?!"

It’s always fun to imagine different possibilities, even if you know they're unlikely.

From what I saw on my timeline, some were hoping for a Rehab Protein or an Extra Strength Black Ice.

But both of those have been gone from the U.S. for quite some time now, so it’s very unlikely... Especially the protein one; I think it would be tough to release in Japan. Given that the Coffee Monster had a short lifespan, I doubt they’d want to release products like protein shakes. If I were in a meeting and this idea came up, I’d probably be the first to suggest scrapping it!

My Predictions and Daydreams

Personally, I thought there might be a Japan-exclusive flavor coming out, and I even thought there was a 20-30% chance of it happening. Well, I was completely wrong, though.

The reason I thought this is that Monster has been doing great in Japan, both in terms of market share and sales. It's a little unbelievable, but it's performing much better compared to other countries. It’s basically in a two-horse race with Red Bull. (Other companies haven't even released competitive products yet.)

In the middle of this, Red Bull released their "Spring Edition" as a world-first and Japan-exclusive flavor, and they’ve also had their world-first "Grape Edition" in Japan.

Given this trend, I thought Monster Energy Japan might finally release a new, Japan-exclusive flavor for summer! The fact that it was a summer product is key here.

A Japan-exclusive flavor release seemed like it would be very interesting and a great seasonal choice.

Specifically, I imagined a cool, refreshing flavor for summer limited edition. If it was a limited edition, it wouldn’t hurt too much, and it would definitely get attention, with famous blogs writing about it. If it said something like, "This cools you down instantly!" everyone would be curious to try it.

...Wait, I’m not suggesting a new product here, am I? (laughs) I was just daydreaming when I saw the image.

So, in the end, it was a change in the Ab Zero packaging, which didn’t really surprise anyone. With the release set for the end of April, I’m sure new campaign details will come out along with it, so let’s wait calmly until then. ヽ(=´▽`=)ﾉ

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