Surge
Encyclopedia
Surge was a citrus soft drink
first introduced in Norway
, under the name Urge
(1996), by the Coca-Cola Company to compete with Pepsi
's Mountain Dew
.
in the United States
under the name Surge, although in Denmark
, Norway
and Sweden
, the name remained the same. In the USA, the product did very well for the first few years, but eventually started to slip in sales. The Coca-Cola company has since ceased production of this beverage in the USA, Denmark and Sweden in 2001, and stopped making the syrup for fountains in 2002.
Norway is the only country where one can still buy a bottled version of this soft drink. Surge was widely associated with the extreme sports lifestyle, with television commercials similar to those currently used by Mountain Dew.
Comparisons of this soft drink have been made to a more recent Coca-Cola product, Vault
, which was first released in 2005—around four years after the discontinuation of Surge. The two drinks are noted to have similar ingredients and taste, although Vault contains higher levels of caffeine at 70.5 mg per 12 fl. oz. The caffeine content of Surge was comparable to that of other citrus soft drinks in the American market at 52.5 mg per 12 fl. oz, as stated by Coca-Cola representatives and the American Beverage Association.
Urge was originally available in Norway in 0.5L and 1.5L bottles. The 1.5L bottles were discontinued in 1999, but were reintroduced to the Norwegian market on September 1, 2008, due in part to a consumer campaign on Facebook
.
Soft drink
A soft drink is a non-alcoholic beverage that typically contains water , a sweetener, and a flavoring agent...
first introduced in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, under the name Urge
Urge (soft drink)
Urge is a citrus flavored soft drink produced by Coca Cola Norway. It is the Norwegian equivalent of Surge. It was originally introduced in Norway in 1996 as a test product. Surge was launched in the United States in 1997...
(1996), by the Coca-Cola Company to compete with Pepsi
Pepsi
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink that is produced and manufactured by PepsiCo...
's Mountain Dew
Mountain Dew
Mountain Dew is a citrus-flavored carbonated soft drink brand produced and owned by PepsiCo. The original formula was invented in the 1940s by Tennessee beverage bottlers Barney and Ally Hartman and was first marketed in Marion, VA, Knoxville and Johnson City, Tennessee. A revised formula was...
.
History
In 1996, Coca-Cola decided to start producing UrgeUrge (soft drink)
Urge is a citrus flavored soft drink produced by Coca Cola Norway. It is the Norwegian equivalent of Surge. It was originally introduced in Norway in 1996 as a test product. Surge was launched in the United States in 1997...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
under the name Surge, although in Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
and Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, the name remained the same. In the USA, the product did very well for the first few years, but eventually started to slip in sales. The Coca-Cola company has since ceased production of this beverage in the USA, Denmark and Sweden in 2001, and stopped making the syrup for fountains in 2002.
Norway is the only country where one can still buy a bottled version of this soft drink. Surge was widely associated with the extreme sports lifestyle, with television commercials similar to those currently used by Mountain Dew.
Comparisons of this soft drink have been made to a more recent Coca-Cola product, Vault
Vault (soft drink)
Vault is a carbonated beverage that was released by The Coca-Cola Company in June 2005. It is touted as an artificially flavored hybrid energy soda. Coca-Cola is marketing Vault as a combination with the slogan "Drinks like a Soda, Kicks like an Energy Drink," as well as "The Taste. The Quench...
, which was first released in 2005—around four years after the discontinuation of Surge. The two drinks are noted to have similar ingredients and taste, although Vault contains higher levels of caffeine at 70.5 mg per 12 fl. oz. The caffeine content of Surge was comparable to that of other citrus soft drinks in the American market at 52.5 mg per 12 fl. oz, as stated by Coca-Cola representatives and the American Beverage Association.
Urge was originally available in Norway in 0.5L and 1.5L bottles. The 1.5L bottles were discontinued in 1999, but were reintroduced to the Norwegian market on September 1, 2008, due in part to a consumer campaign on Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
.