DEVIZES-BASED family brewery Wadworth is using sex to sell its beer.

The independent brewer is spending more than £1million on promoting its best selling beer, 6X, in a 12-month national advertising campaign.

Wadworth, which employs 150 people at its brewery in Devizes, will be using three cheeky images to advertise 6X.

The first features a full pint of 6X with the words '6X appeal.'

Another features two pints of 6X almost touching at the lips with the words '6X therapy' and the third features four pints of 6X with the slogan 'group 6X.'

Wadworth sales director Fred West insisted the slogans were not smutty and had been chosen after rigorous research. He said: "This was one of a number of potential advertising campaigns we tested.

"We gauged the opinions of beer drinkers, non-beer drinkers, young and old people, men and women over a period of six months.

"When we showed them the 6X sex pun everyone liked it. When we used people in the slogan it didn't work, people either loved it or hated it, but with the image of the pint glass of 6X there was universal approval as the beer is speaking for itself.

"We sell 6X on draught in pubs and in cans and bottles in supermarkets and we have got a traditional image.

"In order to get noticed and be consumed by more people we needed to do something more provocative and eye catching.

"We think the advertising is inoffensive and shows that while we brew a lovely pint of beer we don't take ourselves too seriously and we have a sense of humour."

Mr West said the language used in the advertising campaign is not entirely new as 20 years ago Wadworth produced lapel badges with the phrase 'If you had 6X last night, smile.'

The advertising campaign has been launched as Wadworth has regained the sales, distribution and marketing responsibilities for 6X from Whitbread after seven years.

The slogans will be featured as full page colour adverts in weekend supplements of national newspapers and on poster sites stretching from Birmingham to Southampton and from Bristol to the London underground.

Mr West said the campaign was aimed at 30 to 55-year-olds but Wadworth also hopes it will boost sales among 20 to 30 year-olds and retired people.

jcrooks@newswilts.co.uk