Monster Import and Monster Nitrous to Enter Canadian Market

Monster Energy will be releasing four more new energy drinks into the Canadian marketplace.  The Monster Import and the Monster Nitrous line-up of Anti Gravity, Killer B, and Super Dry will be entering the Canadian beverage market in May 2010.

These energy drinks all have a different appeal to them.  The Import comes in a 550ml can and a patented plastic resealable cap.  This cap is unique because most energy drinks come in aluminum cans with pull tabs and are not resealable, whereas this cap is resealable by a turning motion.  Monster’s tagline for this energy drink is “One Hand, No Hassle” which indicates that the user can just open and close the cap with one hand.  The cap innovation is something totally new to the Canadian marketplace even though it has existed in the United States and Europe for quite some time.  And while the cap itself is innovative, it remains to be seen if the beverage itself actually has a great taste to make it a success.

The Monster Nitrous line-up is also a unique release.  These energy drinks are  also have a resealable cap, but unlike the Import the cap is similar to the Monster 710ml twist caps.  However, this is not the only unique thing about the 355ml energy drink.  The water used to produce the beverage and therefore in the beverage itself is carbonated and – nitrogenated.  Users that have tried the beverage before say there is a foamy top when the drink is first opened and this is a result of the nitrogen.  BevWire isn’t too sure on health aspects, but with regular energy drinks being given a bad name for their adverse health effects, what will the nitrogenated beverage do to consumers?

That said, the energy drink category is constantly innovating to look for ways to build sales.  Overall, this category’s main players have done a lot of innovating lately.  Red Bull has come out with energy shots.  Rockstar Enery has experimented with energy gum and also released two very successful energy drink flavors (Recovery Lemonade and Energy Cola).  And now Monster has come out with their Import and Nitrous.  Consumers are constantly switching to other beverage options to refresh themselves and quench their thirst.  Sometimes the users will switch to a different category altogether like enhanced water or ready-to-drink teas to meet their changing needs.  Therefore, if a category doesn’t innovate to keep up with the consumers changing demands, they are the ones likely to be left out in the dust.