Greetings SURGE fans and welcome to this very special 100th edition of SaveSURGE News! Make sure to hold on to this, it may be a collector’s item someday.

As we celebrate 100 issues of SaveSURGE News, let us remember why this newsletter/website/community exists. Bringing SURGE back is our common focus and we must continue to bug the living daylights out of Coca-Cola until they give in! Call them toll-free at 1-800-GET-COKE and tell them how you feel.

Sightings Report
There have been no new SURGE Sightings reported since the last edition of SaveSURGE News.

Sadly, there were two deletions in Southbury, CT & Columbia, IL.

Currently, there are 94 SURGE Sightings listed. Thanks to all of you who look out for SURGE wherever you go!

For more info, visit SURGE Sightings at:
http://www.savesurge.org/surge/sightings.shtml

Survey to Save SURGE Update
As you may remember, we conducted the Survey to Save SURGE from 4/21 – 4/29/04. The purpose of the survey was to provide Coca-Cola and its bottlers with valuable marketing data regarding SURGE and its fans. The response was incredible, with over 1,000 SURGE fans responding in just over a week online.

The results of the survey are in the hands of people who have the power to make a difference. We are still awaiting word on any decisions regarding the future of SURGE. Please stay tuned to SaveSURGE.org for more information as it becomes available.

Personally, my hopes are still very high for a re-launch of SURGE. Product decisions for large companies such as Coca-Cola take a lot of time and with their new CEO scheduled to take over the first week of June – a lot has been going on down in Atlanta. Exercising patience is often the hardest part of this campaign but we’re so close to our goal and we must continue to stay patient (and positive). Once again I’d like to thank every one of you who participated in the survey. You turned a lot of heads with your amazing response!

Looking Back on 100 Issues
It started out as a few simple paragraphs back on February 15, 2002 – just two weeks after SaveSURGE.org went online for the first time. Looking back, I’d be surprised if there were more than 5 SURGE fans on our mailing list that day. Small and simple, SaveSURGE News was born.

Back then Avery & I had no idea just how big the SaveSURGE.org community would become. We didn’t know how many other SURGE fans were out there looking for their favorite soda. As time has gone on, the community has continued to grow at an amazing pace and this newsletter has grown with it.

SaveSURGE News was created to give fans a weekly digest of what was new and notable on the site. It has reported the highs, the lows and the incredibly unique moments that only this community can provide.

SaveSURGE News has been able to last for 100 issues because of you. After all, what good is a newsletter (or a website) if no one is there to read it? The vast majority of content for the letter has come from SURGE fans themselves. Your letters, your graphics and logos, your songs and your love for SURGE. You give me something to write about each and every week.

Thank you all for making this newsletter – and most of all this community – the best project I’ve ever had the honor of working on. Because of your incredible support, we’re going to keep on working to bring SURGE back to store shelves and SaveSURGE News will be there to report it all.

The Best Moments of SaveSURGE News
100 issues of SaveSURGE News have brought us quite a collection of special moments. In chronological order, here are a few of my favorites:

Free Stickers for All – In May of 2002 I decided to get some SaveSURGE.org stickers printed up and give them away for free. I had no idea what I was in for! The stickers were small, a very neon-green and overall not very attractive but that didn’t stop SURGE fans from wanting them. The promotion lasted just a few weeks but the response was overwhelming! I don’t even remember how many stickers were sent out but I do know I spent a lot of money on stamps. There are still a few stickers laying around my office.
Read about it in Issue #11: http://www.savesurge.org/surge/nl11.shtml

120 12-packs go to John – Back in July 2002, we received a letter for a SURGE fan named John. He lived in the Chicago area which as many of you know has never had SURGE. He was, however, able to find it in nearby Champaign, IL. When he found out that the bottler in Champaign was discontinuing his favorite beverage, John took action. He bought out their remaining supply of SURGE – 120 12-packs in all! It was one of those moments that made me think that yeah, there still is a real market out there for SURGE.
Read about it in Issue #18: http://www.savesurge.org/surge/nl18.shtml

Shepard Saves SURGE – SaveSURGE.org Hall of Famer wrote to us just a week later and told the story of how he single-handedly brought SURGE back to his local 7-11. It was a great example of how SURGE fans can indeed make a difference!
Read about it in Issue #19: http://www.savesurge.org/surge/nl19.shtml

12 Pack Auctions for $152.50 – If there were any questions about the demand for SURGE, this sure answered them.
Read about it in Issue #41: http://www.savesurge.org/surge/nl41.shtml

SaveSURGE.org in AP Article – On 4/15/03, we were mentioned in an Associated Press article about a lawsuit against Coke in Sweden. It seemed a family whose last name was Urge sued Coke and demanded that they relinquish their copyright on the name in that country. URGE, as you know is the Norwegian equivalent of SURGE. It has never been sold in Sweden but Coke copyrighted the name there anyway. The mention of SaveSURGE.org in the article brought a ton of visitors our way and was seen in publications all over the world!
Read about it in Issue #43: http://www.savesurge.org/surge/nl43.shtml

The Day of Big Publicity – On 7/31/03, SaveSURGE.org was featured in not one but two major media outlets. We were picked as a USAToday.com Hot Site and also picked as the Weird Website of the Week on KLAS-TV in Las Vegas. Again, the traffic to the site was phenomenal!
Read about it in Issue #58: http://www.savesurge.org/surge/nl58.shtml

RMJ & Shepard Get Creative – Two different SURGE fans, two different multimedia projects and both of them were great! SaveSURGE.org Hall of Famer RMJ gave us the hip-hop anthem “One More SURGE” and Hall of Famer Shepard gave us two SURGE commercials that he filmed in college.
Read about it in Issue #61: http://www.savesurge.org/surge/nl61.shtml

SURGE Gets a New Logo – I don’t think I’ve ever seen such an incredible amount of buzz at the site. It was September of 2003 and we had just kicked off National SaveSURGE Month. I was able to obtain a new SURGE logo from a company called i3 Productions, who had been hired by Coca-Cola to create a new look for our favorite soda. As it turns out, the logo was never used but that didn’t seem to stop any of us from getting excited. Not only was it amazing to know that Coke had at least looked into the idea of re-launching SURGE, it was also a huge boost to National SaveSURGE Month. The timing of discovering this logo was perfect and no doubt boosted the participation in our campaign. That same week, we also announced that Avery & I would be doing our first radio interview.
Read about it in Issue #63: http://www.savesurge.org/surge/nl63.shtml

Official SURGE Commercials Online – SURGE fan John (aka Chaos Theory) donates three authentic SURGE commercials to the site. They bring back great memories and help us Feed the Rush!
Read about it in Issue #64: http://www.savesurge.org/surge/nl64.shtml

Andrew Spreads the Word and Users Create Logos – SaveSURGE.org Hall of Famer Andrew, along with some friends, documented a night in which they drove around posting SaveSURGE.org Flyers to every Coke machine they could find. Plus, SURGE fans were inspired by the recently discovered new SURGE logo so they decided to start creating their own! It’s still one of the most updated features of the site today.
Read about it in Issue #65: http://www.savesurge.org/surge/nl65.shtml

We Speak with Coke! – In October 2003, I had the opportunity to speak with Scott Williamson, who is the Head of Media Relations at Coca-Cola. He informed me that SaveSURGE.org was quite a popular site down in Atlanta!
Read about it in Issue #68: http://www.savesurge.org/surge/nl68.shtml

Roland Needs SURGE for the Summit – SURGE fan Roland moved to South Africa a few years back and he hadn’t had his favorite beverage in quite some time. He was going to climb the world-famous Mt. Kilimanjaro and he wanted to find some SURGE to drink for when he reached the summit. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to get him that can of green goodness.
Read about it in Issue #70: http://www.savesurge.org/surge/nl70.shtml

Avery Speaks with Midwest Coca-Cola – Co-webmaster Avery Lund conducts a great interview with a representative of the Midwest Coca-Cola Bottling Company. Avery learns that SaveSURGE.org is quite popular among bottler execs and much hope is gained from their meeting.
Read about it in Issue #75: http://www.savesurge.org/surge/nl75.shtml

SURGE Shirt Auctions for $280 – Another amazing auction shows us that the world wants SURGE!
Read about it in Issue #76: http://www.savesurge.org/surge/nl76.shtml

Birthday Greetings and a National Radio Interview – February 2004 was a big month. First, SaveSURGE.org celebrated its second birthday by holding a “Birthday Greetings Contest”. The fans who submitted the most creative birthday greetings won some excellent prizes. Plus, I was interviewed on the nationally syndicated David Lawrence Radio Show!
Read about it in Issue #85: http://www.savesurge.org/surge/nl85.shtml

Radio Commercial Hits the Airwaves – SaveSURGE.org took its message to HOT 92 FM in Harrisburg, PA.
Read about it in Issue #87: http://www.savesurge.org/surge/nl87.shtml

SaveSURGE.org Recommended by a Bottler – in March 2004, SaveSURGE.org Hall of Famer Will received a response from a Coca-Cola Bottler in Eagan, MN that recommended our site for any questions he had about SURGE. How’s that for flattery?
Read about it in Issue #92: http://www.savesurge.org/surge/nl92.shtml

The Survey to Save SURGE – In April 2004 we asked you to participate in a survey so that we could share vital marketing data with Coca-Cola and its bottlers. Over 1,000 of you answered the call! This was a HUGE step forward in our fight. Stay tuned…
Read about it in Issue #96: http://www.savesurge.org/surge/nl96.shtml

There are a ton of memories from the first 100 issues of SaveSURGE News. Of course, I can’t possibly list each one here but I’d like to thank all of you for making them happen! I also encourage you to read through some past issues at:
http://www.savesurge.org/surge/savesurge_news.shtml

Poll Results – You Searched for SURGE
The latest SURGE Poll asked you: How did you find SaveSURGE.org?

68% - Search Engine
18% - From a Friend
9.5% - Link from Another Site
4.2% - Newspaper/Radio/TV

Total Votes: 94

However you may have found us, we’re glad you did!

That’s all the time we have for this week. Thanks for making SaveSURGE.org the #1 SURGE community on the web!

Sincerely,

Eric Karkovack
Co-Webmaster
www.savesurge.org