Where Does Surge Rank After 1 Year?

From Beverage Digest 2/20/98

Where Does Surge Rank After 1 Year?

Where Surge Ranks

Million		CSD
Cases		Share
Barq's Root Beer	92.1		1.0
Diet Dr Pepper	88.0		0.9
Diet Mt Dew	78.0		0.8
Mug Root Beer	70.0		0.7
Surge	69.0		0.7
Mr. Pibb	67.6		0.7
Cherry Coke	66.8		0.7
Diet 7UP	59.1		0.6
Sunkist	56.1		0.6
Diet Sprite	50.9		0.5
Mello Yello	46.6		0.5
Diet Rite Cola	34.5		0.4
Wild Cherry Pepsi	32.0		0.3
Fresca	26.2		0.3

Just over one-year old (BD 12/14/96), Surge -- Coke's new heavy citrus carbonated soft drink -- holds 0.7 market share in BD/Maxwell all-channel data. During 1997, brand's US availability expands; reaches 60% national distribution last summer; Coke plans 90% distribution early 1998. New York/Los Angeles markets recently added. For 1997, Surge's total volume was 69 mil 192-oz cases. In comparison, Caffeine-Free Diet Pepsi -- #10 brand in recent ranking (BD 2/12/98) -- had total volume of 94.6 mil cases.

Versus other brands. After one year, Surge's volume exceeds several Coca-Cola Co stable-mates: Mr. Pibb, Cherry Coke, Mello Yello and Fresca. Surge's volume greater than Cadbury's Sunkist; 1 mil cases less than Pepsi's Mug Root Beer; 23 mil cases less than #11 brand Barq's Root Beer.

Table. Details full year 1997 all-channel case sales and share of CSD for selected brands.

Perspective vs Mt Dew/Sprite/Dr Pepper. Surge still dwarfed by direct competitor, Pepsi's Mt Dew. In same time period, regular Mt Dew -- #4 brand and fastest-growing top-10 CSD label -- sells 605.2 mil cases, nearly 9 times Surge's volume. Diet Mt Dew sells 78 mil cases. No diet version of Surge. Volume of other leading non-colas: Sprite totals 598 mil cases. Dr Pepper totals 566 mil cases.

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