Attention grunge rock burnouts and fanny packers alike: Surge is making a re…
It’s back.
Once comparable to Popeye’s spinach in fructose-y form for children, Coca-Cola’s hardcore soft drink Surge has been revitalized by Amazon for online purchase only. Consumers just now awaking from caffeine crashes when the product was discontinued in 2003 are flocking on a wave of nostalgia to the now brimming, syrupy trough.
The revival of this nearly 20-year-old dinosaur of a drink is not dissimilar from the revival of actual dinosaurs in Jurassic Park: it’s a fun idea that doesn’t bode well for human health. Widely associated with extreme sports, Surge contained 42g of sugar as well as high caffeine content, mixed into a magical citrusy elixir.
The result was a beverage that, for whatever reason, has now aligned with the values of late-90s Millennial nostalgia to the extent that it has bred a thriving Facebook page called Surge Movement. The page is currently home to over 146,000 Surge fanatics who post pictures of old surge collectibles at flea markets, aged cans resembling found fossils, and clips of Surge commercial content from the era. It is also worth noting that Surge was discontinued a year before Facebook was even created in 2004.
The significance of Surge’s rebirth lies in the fact that a product that lay extinct for over a decade with no corporate marketing could revamp a loyal brand following based almost solely on a social media streak of nostalgia. It is one of the most clear-cut examples of the power of social media and listening to the unadulterated voice of the consumer. The result is a 21st century option for purchase: Amazon as the Internet’s “vending machine.”
Whether Surge’s second life will be sustained long-term is yet to be known. For now, the soft drink is available for purchase in 12-pack of 16-ounce cans at this link.