About SURGE

SURGE is a soda brand released in early 1997 by The Coca-Cola Company with its first commercial airing during Super Bowl XXXI. Being heavily marketed upon release, its purpose was to put a large dent in our nation’s citrus market and provide consumers with a bold and irreverent, yet tasty alternative to Pepsi’s Mountain Dew. Bright green in color, SURGE was described as a “Fully Loaded Citrus Soda with Carbos,” meaning it boasted a blend of bold citrus flavors and maltodextrin (a less sweet carbohydrate), which when combined with its low carbonation, produced a bold yet smooth taste. SURGE caught on quickly and was initially available in 60% of the nation, spreading to 90% by early 1998 in which it quickly became a cult-classic choice among many.

SURGE’s early days saw an era before energy drinks were mainstream (before Red Bull, Monster, etc.) Advertised with “Extreme Lifestyle” marketing that featured many recognizable commercials, SURGE often featured intense races to a single can or bottle. SURGE quickly became an iconic brand- so much that 97% of teens were aware of SURGE in the initial launch markets and 95% had tried it at least once, based on internal consumer research. In April of 1998 the head of Coca-Cola’s marketing department, Sergio Zyman, resigned from his post and the reigns were handed over to Charles S. Frenette, a man generally seen as having the complete opposite approach to marketing. The very next month, Coke’s stocks reached their peak and began to plummet. SURGE began to see a decrease in sales which continued until 2003 when Coca-Cola decided to cease all forms of its production.

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Leading up to the discontinuation were rising rumors of SURGE’s supposed “adverse effects” (even partially misconceived today). While false rumors of high caffeine and sugar levels widely spread, entire schools began to literally ban the soda from vending machines and many parents stopped buying SURGE for their children altogether. In all actuality, SURGE had less caffeine and even less sugar than Mountain Dew, its primary competitor. As the grandfather of all extreme marketing, experts agreed that SURGE was a beverage “before its time.”

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Coca-Cola decided against a reformed marketing plan, despite continuous efforts of its passionate fan base. Even before the discontinuation, community websites such as SaveSURGE.org had risen and become ground zero for SURGE fans to unite and also express their creative side. Led by Eric “Karks” Karkovack, Save SURGE featured a petition that gained over 30,000 signatures, a SURGE map to find remaining SURGE locations, hundreds of user-submitted artwork/recipes and a bulletin board for communication among other powerful assets. The persistence and passion for SURGE never died and fans actively remained unrelenting in its return.

That continuous activism finally led to a response in 2005, where Coca-Cola announced they will be releasing a new citrus soda named VAULT, which had a different formula with higher caffeine and a higher carbonation. Mourning SURGE fans reacted with mixed emotions because VAULT was not SURGE, and it was evident they would never co-exist so long as VAULT was on the market. The hope of SURGE fans slowly faded away until late 2011 when VAULT was also declared a discontinued brand.

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Category: WHY