Howdy SURGE fans and welcome to the 133rd edition of SaveSURGE News! Since 2002, annoying giant corporations until we get what we want :)

Update: Bring SURGE to Wal-Mart
After two weeks, our Bring SURGE to Wal-Mart campaign continues to build momentum. In fact, we received word that the retail giant has received “thousands” of e-mail messages regarding SURGE! That is proof positive that a market for SURGE exists.

Want more great news? We have also found out that there has been some contact between Wal-Mart and Coca-Cola! While we don’t have all of the details, this contact could be the first step in getting SURGE into Wal-Mart locations all across the USA. Ultimately, it will be up to these two large companies to come to some sort of agreement.

Still, we need to keep on writing those letters. We ask that you spread the word to friends and family. The more letters Wal-Mart receives, the more pressure it places on these two companies to make it happen.

Visit Wal-Mart’s Customer Feedback Form and request their help in convincing Coke to bring back SURGE, even if only for a limited time! We deserve a chance to show our support for SURGE in the marketplace. Here’s the link:

Visit this link to write to Wal-Mart.

We have also created a special SaveSURGE.org Flyer that you can print and post at your local Wal-Mart’s community bulletin board. The file is in PDF format (253 KB in size) and available for download at:
http://www.savesurge.org/surge/flyer_walmart.pdf

Thank you SURGE fans for doing an outstanding job!

Mark Saves SURGE in the US Air Force
This week we received a special letter from TSgt Mark Godwin, who is an Aerial Gunner on a HH-60G Pavehawk Rescue Helicopter in the Air Force. He wrote in to tell us about his love for SURGE and the reason he is holding on to one last can. He also told us about how SURGE had a positive impact on members of the Air Force while he was stationed in Japan.

Read Mark’s Story in For the Love of SURGE:
http://www.savesurge.org/surge/mark_af.shtml

SURGE Saves Andy’s Life!
Andy wrote in to share the story of how SURGE once aided in saving his life. He has a medical condition that makes it very difficult for him to swallow. It can be potentially serious if he does not receive a drink during an attack of this condition.

He experienced one of these frightening attacks while playing hockey. Luckily, SURGE was there for him.

Find out what happened in For the Love of SURGE:
http://www.savesurge.org/surge/andy_life.shtml

SaveSURGE.org Mentioned by Marketing Expert
We at SaveSURGE.org received an excellent gift on Valentine’s Day. Our website was mentioned in a blog article by marketing expert Jackie Huba. Jackie is the co-author of “Creating Customer Evangelists: How Loyal Customers Become a Volunteer Sales Force”.

The article was about “Citizen Marketers” who are everyday people (like us) who promote a product or service because of our love for it. SaveSURGE.org was listed as an example of citizen marketing.

In an e-mail conversation that I had with Jackie this week, she also mentioned that she used SaveSURGE.org as an example during a recent keynote address she made at a conference of customer care executives. A picture of our site was used as a slide in her presentation and she also held up a copy of Drew Bizzell’s film, “Save Surge – The Movie”. Best of all, some of the attendees of the conference were representatives from Coca-Cola!

You can read Jackie’s article at:
http://customerevangelists.typepad.com/blog/2005/02/citizen_markert.html

Special thanks goes out to Ms. Huba for her support!

Poll Results – You’re writing!
The latest SURGE Poll asked you: Have you contacted Wal-Mart regarding SURGE?

65.9% - Yes
34% - No

Total Votes: 94

Thanks to all of you who have written! And to those of you who haven’t…what are you waiting for??? Please write to Wal-Mart today! Visit their link below:

Visit this link to write to Wal-Mart.

That’s all the time we have for this week. Thank you SURGE fans for your support!

Sincerely,

Eric Karkovack
Co-Webmaster
www.SaveSURGE.org