By Mark Wineka
mark.wineka@salisburypost.com

SALISBURY — Cheerwine has launched a fan club, the Cheerwine Authentic Soda Society, which will be limited to 1,000 of the more ardent fans of the soft drink.

Solicitation for members of the club went live Tuesday, and fans interested in becoming part of the Cheerwine Authentic Soda Society are being asked to visit the soft drink’s Facebook page to take a quiz, which essentially nominates them for membership.

For taking the quiz, applicants also will receive a $1 off coupon for Cheerwine, the cherry soft drink that is now available in 20 states.

Tom Barbitta, vice president of communications, said the Cheerwine Authentic Soda Society aims at accomplishing two things: recognizing the kind of people who have made the brand what it is and mobilizing them as advocates for telling others about Cheerwine.

“The passionate fan we have is just incredible,” Barbitta said Wednesday. “The love they have for Cheerwine is just off the charts.”

The fan club members ultimately chosen — and the company will try to include folks from all 20 states where Cheerwine is sold —  will be provided  certain perks and “insider information” on upcoming promotions, Barbitta said.

They will be invited to host parties or community events around Cheerwine, and, of course, they will be supplied plenty of product.

“The whole plan is to give back to them and invite them to help us spread the word,” Barbitta said.

An “internal process” will determine which 1,000 fans will be part of the Cheerwine Authentic Soda Society, Barbitta said, adding the soft drink’s passionate fans have been ready for a program like this for a long time.

“They believe in the brand and have believed in the brand a long time,” he said. “… We believe the brand is at a point where these 1,000 people will go the extra mile to talk about it to people.”

Barbitta said the fan club is a new program, not really a replacement for anything else.

Cheerwine has more than 136,500 fans on Facebook, several thousand followers on Twitter and more than 8,000 people in its email base. Word has been released about the fan club through those avenues.

The soft drink was first produced here in 1917.

Contact Mark Wineka at 704-797-4263.