Knowledge Memo | [Guilty Carbonated NOPE] | Guilty = Sense of Guilt! ~ Is the technique of gathering attention by suddenly becoming a "sale item" viable?

"NOPE"
You may have seen that drink, dyed in pink and black, which stands out in the beverage aisle.
Marketed as a new carbonated beverage, it is a blend of over "99 types" of flavors, including ripe fruits and spices.
It aims for a "complex and addictive taste" that adds not just sweetness and acidity, but also bitterness and saltiness.

The product concept might be eye-catching, but what made me aware of its existence while looking at social media was something like

"A newly released drink is already being dumped in a wagon sale!"

or content similar to that.
This is actually highly likely to be a calculated strategy by Suntory!

Intentional "Explosive Penetration" Strategy

For new products, especially those with tastes that divide opinion (controversial) like "NOPE," the following methods are used.

• Lowering the hurdle for trial:
  To "get people to try just one bottle first," they sometimes use moves close to "penetration pricing," where they strategically lower the initial price through pre-orders on e-commerce sites (Rakuten or Amazon) or at supermarkets.

• Reverse use of "buzz":
  Turning the social media buzz of "It's already on sale, is it okay?" to their advantage to increase attention.
  In reality, it surpassed 20 million bottles in the first week of release, which puts it in the category of a major success in terms of shipment numbers.
  Conversely, if expectations at the retail level were too high and they stocked too much, it could actually be a failure leading to a sale, but...

• The "symbolism" of the sales floor:
  NOPE adopts a flashy package design that looks better in a supermarket's "stacked corner" or "special sale shelf" than on a convenience store shelf.
  By intentionally lining it up in the discount corner as a "junk item," there may be an aspect of complementing the brand's worldview (sense of guilt).

Comparison with ZONe: Why are energy drinks rarely discounted?

"ZONe ENERGY"
This is a product that has become a representative domestic energy drink, competing with Red Bull and Monster.
This is also manufactured and sold by Suntory, but why are these high-caffeine beverages almost never discounted?
Also, for products like Black Oolong Tea or FOSHU (Food for Specified Health Uses) beverages, there is rarely a large price difference between convenience stores, where list price sales are the norm, and supermarkets, where discounting is common.

To a layperson, one might think that since they would sell more if discounted, the manufacturer must be restricting price reductions by not doing so.
But if they did that, it would be punished as an unfair trade practice called "resale price maintenance."

Then why do the prices end up being the same?
The answer is simple: "It is designed so that everyone benefits by doing so."

First, these products are made from the start to be profitable even without discounts.
Because the profit per bottle is large, there is no need to force a price reduction to increase volume.
In fact, if you lower the price, even if the number of bottles sold increases, the profit per bottle decreases, and you might even lose money in total.

Next is the situation for the buyer.
Energy drinks are often bought in situations where people think, "I want to drink it right now" or "I need this specific one," so they are bought as-is even if they are a bit expensive.
In other words, even if you lower the price a little, sales won't increase that much.
For the store, there is not much merit in lowering the price.

Furthermore, the influence of the brand is also significant.
For these products, the image itself, such as "it seems effective" or "it feels special," is the value.
If you sell them at a discount, that image might collapse, and it could become harder to sell in the long term.
That is why both manufacturers and retailers think it is better not to force a price reduction.
In other words, the flow is like this.

Manufacturer: "Let's make it a product that sells even at this price and makes a proper profit."
Store: "Then I'll make more money selling it as is without forcing a price reduction."
Customer: "It's a bit expensive, but I guess this is fine."

Because these three align, the prices end up looking the same.
The point is that it is not "the same price because it is forced," but "a mechanism where it naturally settles at the same price."

Conversely, general beverages like water and tea have different circumstances.
For example, products like Suntory Natural Water are similar everywhere, and because price competition is fierce, they won't sell unless you compete on price.
Therefore, manufacturers support price reductions, and stores actively lower prices.

In summary, the "way of making money itself" is different for products that are sold at a discount and products that sell even without being discounted.
And energy drinks and FOSHU are the latter.
That is why they look like they are "about the same price everywhere."

I have written so far that there are no discounts because they are a kind of special product, but in the broad genre of energy drinks, there are other beverages that have boasted top-class sales for many years.
Real Gold, Dekavita C, Oronamin C, Lifeguard.
These are discounted. In fact, they are sometimes cheaper than mineral water.

There is also the point that they contain ingredients like "L-arginine" or "L-carnitine" in addition to vitamins C and B, so their functionality is different, but compared to the amounts contained in Red Bull, etc., there is no significant effect, and what contributes most to the actual physical sensation is almost entirely caffeine.
Arginine and the like are auxiliary, and it can be said that they play a strong role in reinforcing the impression that "it seems effective."
To put it extremely, if you only want to take caffeine, you can substitute it with strong tea.

Traditional carbonated nutritional drinks were sold mixed in with soft drinks, so they were discounted, while new-age energy drinks have increased their value through the image that effect equals efficacy, which is why they are separated.

However, FOSHU (Foods for Specified Health Uses) products have their prices attached to their 'health functions themselves' because they prove their functionality based on research, development, and clinical data.
This is a different domain from both the image value of energy drinks and the preference value of conventional carbonated beverages.

What is "Guilty Carbonated Drink NOPE"?

Released by Suntory on March 24, 2026, this is a carbonated beverage with the concept of a 'sense of immorality (guilty),' which goes in the exact opposite direction of the 'health-conscious' trend.

• Concept: 'Dissolve stress.' It is a proposal to dissolve daily stress with a sweet and rich taste that is (perceived to be) bad for the body.
  

• Taste characteristics:
  A blend of over 99 types of flavors including ripe fruits and spices. It aims for a 'complex and addictive taste' that adds not only sweetness and acidity but also bitterness and saltiness.
  

• Contents:
  Contains 'Enchanting Guilty Aroma Oil.' At 56kcal per 100ml, it is set at a fairly high calorie count for a recent beverage.
  

The taste is actually quite mild compared to the image.
Some drinks have such distinct personalities that the bitterness or spiciness is overwhelming, but I think this one has a taste that anyone can drink as a normal, sweet, and delicious carbonated beverage.
For example, Dr. Pepper has a vanilla scent and a medicinal herbal medicine feel to its taste, but I feel this one doesn't have that much quirkiness or medicinal quality.
However, since 99 types of flavors are mixed in, the way the taste is perceived might differ depending on individual taste buds.

◆ Summary

In this day and age, products that are only 'tasty' in a mediocre way get buried.
By incorporating even the 'sight of being sold at a discount' into part of the brand's design, it creates an atmosphere of 'it seems like something dangerous is on sale for a limited time.'
NOPE might be elevating beverages from mere tools to quench thirst into a form of 'entertainment experience'!

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I write about various things from my daily life as a substitute for a diary.
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