STING (5 Flavors) Reviewed & Explained

Energy Drink Brand Expanding in Southeast Asia

STING Energy Drink is one of the energy drink brands launched by PepsiCo, primarily sold in Southeast Asia.

Priced around 50 yen per can, it is an affordable energy drink that competes with higher-priced mega brands entering the market, boasting stable popularity typical of Southeast Asia.

Flavors like the strawberry-flavored "STING BERRY BLAST" were released, followed by "STING GOLD". Later, lime and coffee flavors were introduced in 2015 and 2020, respectively. Currently, the red and yellow-capped varieties are commonly found as staple products on store shelves.

STING is sold in three formats: PET bottles, cans, and bottles. While the number of flavors is limited, its long history and strong brand recognition in Southeast Asia are remarkable.

One of the Highest Sugar Contents Worldwide

In 2019, "STING GOLD" was released in Japan. It quickly became a topic of conversation for its overwhelming sweetness, with people commenting, "It's so sweet!" due to its extraordinarily high sugar content.

The STING energy drink series released across Southeast Asia has always been known for its intense sweetness. Japan's STING GOLD also contained a large amount of sugar, but Vietnam's STING, in particular, contains an even larger amount, offering an incredibly strong sweetness.

STING Energy Drink boasts one of the highest sugar contents among energy drink brands worldwide.

And the Japanese release of STING GOLD was able to retain the original amount of sugar without any alterations, allowing consumers to experience the authentic global flavor in Japan, which was highly appreciated.

STING Energy Drink in Japan

STING GOLD was launched in Japan by Suntory on May 28, 2019, exclusively in vending machines.
【News】STING Energy Drink Gold Released in Vending Machines (May 24, 2019)

Questionable Release Context of STING

According to Suntory, the release of STING in Japan was driven by the increasing demand for quick energy boosts due to the stress-laden society. They developed the product targeting men in their teens and twenties.

It may be time to stop associating energy drinks with a "stress society" (^_^;)

Questionable Promotion Strategy

To promote STING, an original Japanese character, "Scorpion Squad STINGERS," was created by Kenichiro Mizuno, and a dance routine was showcased. The connection between this and the energy drink was a bit questionable in the web promotion.

STING, which had been around for over 10 years overseas, typically produced straightforward energy drink ads in various countries, but "Scorpion Squad STINGERS" was a comedic and Japan-centric promotional idea. Whether this aligned with STING's branding and outcomes is left to interpretation.

Discontinuation Within Less Than a Year

STING Energy Drink was released in Japan on May 28, 2019, but by October of the same year, the official Twitter account had stopped posting after just 26 tweets.

The official website also displayed a notice that production had ended, marking the brief and uneventful release of STING in Japan.