Happy belated Cinco de Mayo SURGE fans and welcome to the 143rd edition of SaveSURGE News! We’re still fighting to save the soda you love.

Vault is Coming
Coca-Cola announced last week that they will begin test-marketing their new citrus soda, Vault, later on this year. Details regarding exactly where and when the testing will take place have not been released.

The question on the minds of many SURGE fans is simply: Is Vault just the SURGE formula with a new name? Coca-Cola did exactly this last year when they took Citra’s formula and re-branded it as Fanta Citrus.

There is a logic that says simply taking SURGE’s formula and giving it a new name makes a lot of sense. Coca-Cola has received a whole lot of requests for SURGE over the past few years but they’ve obviously been reluctant to bring back our favorite soda. Some at the company see SURGE as a “failure” and don’t want anything to do with the brand.

Re-branding the SURGE formula theoretically might be a way to satisfy fans and the company. We get the taste we love, they get what they feel is a fresh start. Although this plan seems to make sense, we still don’t know if this will be the case or not. Vault could be a completely different taste and formula as compared to SURGE.

Stay tuned to SaveSURGE.org for the latest developments with Vault (or is it SURGE?)

Debbie & Shirley on TV!
SURGE Fans Debbie & Shirley did an interview this week with a reporter from KPNX-TV which is the local NBC affiliate in Phoenix, AZ. The story has run at least once on the station as of this writing. We hope to have a video of the story online in the near future.

Our thanks to Debbie & Shirley for their dedication and for spreading the word about SURGE! Thanks also to Zak, who wasn’t interviewed but is a great SURGE fan in Phoenix :)

Hear Avery & Eric’s K-100 Interview
Thanks to our friends over at K-100 in Macomb, IL, you can now hear the interview Avery & I recently did with the station. We appeared on the K-100 Morning Show with Chris and Beau on 4/28/05.

The interview lasted a little over nine minutes and is available for listening in RealAudio format. You can listen in at:
http://www.savesurge.org/surge/about_press_k100.shtml

Our thanks to Chris & Beau for having us on the show! Please visit their website at:
http://www.morningshowguys.com

Auction Tales
This week another expired twelve-pack of SURGE sold for a whopping $155.00! That is the second largest auction price for a twelve-pack we’ve seen. The record holder is $160.08 which was set just last week.

One of the bidders who came up just-short in that record-setting auction was SURGE fan Jake. His final bid was $157.50, just $2.58 under the final selling price of $160.08. Even so, he didn’t come away empty-handed. Last week he won an auctioned twelve-pack for an impressive $142.50. That one turned out to be the least expensive twelve-pack of the week!

I spoke with Jake via E-Mail this week and asked him about his affinity for SURGE and the auctions:

SS.org: What was your highest bid for expired SURGE? Did you win the auction?
Jake: My highest bid for an expired 12 pack of SURGE was $157.50, which was for the #1 12 pack, but I lost it last minute by $2.58.

SS.org: Why are you willing to spend so much money for SURGE?
Jake: I haven't had a sip of that sweet liquid gold in 5 years. What I didn't drink I was going to save, and save it to share with my brothers (who gave me my first can of surge).

SS.org: Do you think these auctions prove that there is still a market for SURGE?
Jake: Yes, because it's not until something's been taken away from you until you realize how much you like it. I believe if Coca-Cola were to bring back SURGE, it would be a success. I heard a rumor that they were testing the SURGE formula as a possible Vault candidate. There is also no doubt that this fine site has contributed to the explosion in the demand for SURGE, as this recent string of record breaking SURGE auctions has come as SAVESURGE.org has gained real recognition (with 12 packs going for $160.08, and single 12oz. cans going for $25.50...)

SS.org: If another soda you enjoy were to be discontinued, would you get involved in these type of high-priced auctions for it?
Jake: If I found out another of my favorite sodas were to be discontinued, I'd drain my bank account and buy all I could (drinking some and living off of the profits from the rest). But never would I spend as much on a 12 pack as I did for SURGE, because in comparison, nothing comes close.

COCA-COLA representatives, if you are reading this, then you know you'll have a SURGE in sales if you bring SURGE back. FOX took Family Guy away, but I seem to remember, it came back from strong DVD sales. I'd call single cans of SURGE selling for $25.00 pretty strong sales.

SURGE FANS UNITE, if we can raise billions of dollars, we can buy out Coca-Cola and resurrect SURGE!

Our thanks to Jake for taking the time to speak with us! For the latest auctions, please visit $URGE on eBay:
http://www.savesurge.org/surge/special_ebay.shtml

What is SURGE?
This is a special treat! We have uncovered an “official” description of SURGE that was used during its 1997 launch:

"SURGE is a new citrus soda designed to appeal to teens and young adults who understand that who they do things with is more important than what they do.

It's about spontaneous good times with friends, living life to its fullest, and having fun. The advertising and its tagline, "Feed the Rush", capture this spirit by dimensionalizing some of the offbeat ways that teens create their own sense of cool fun.

The SURGE positioning has captured the imagination of teens and young adults, creating incredible demand by tapping into their fun loving and social attitudes."

Poll Results – Will you try Vault?
The latest SURGE Poll asked you: Will you try 'Vault', Coke's new citrus soda?

52.8% - Yes
44.6% - SURGE is the only citrus soda I want!
2.5% - No

Total Votes: 195

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

Sincerely,

Eric Karkovack
Co-Webmaster
www.SaveSURGE.org