FOR years a successful Suffolk brewery has proudly used its home town as the backdrop for its advertising campaigns.Well-known Southwold residents – including the mayor and the local lifeboat crew – have all featured in Adnams adverts at some stage.

By David Lennard

FOR years a successful Suffolk brewery has proudly used its home town as the backdrop for its advertising campaigns.

Well-known Southwold residents – including the mayor and the local lifeboat crew – have all featured in Adnams adverts at some stage.

But the brewer revealed yesterday it is now ditching advertising slogans like "Southwold by the pint" in favour of a more "stylish" view of the East Anglian coast.

The new, £1million campaign was launched yesterday to coincide with the opening of the Great British Beer Festival at the Olympia exhibition centre in London.

But Andy Wood, Adnams sales and marketing manager, said the company was not abandoning its links with the upmarket town.

"One of the things we are keen not to do is sell out on our heritage. There is no intention of us drifting from our roots – but there is an economic need for us to grow sales," he said.

Recent marketing campaigns using Southwold residents has coincided with a 50% increase in sales.

But in a bid to promote Adnams beers in parts of the country where Southwold is not so well known, the links and pictures of the Suffolk seaside town are being dropped in favour of the more "stylish" view of the East Anglian coast.

Mr Wood said: "What we want to do is keep the sense of Southwold but make it relevant.

"If you are in the West Country or in the north then you are not likely to know where Southwold is – but wherever you are, the coast means something to people."

The new advertising campaign was accepted by many beer drinkers in Southwold yesterday.

Ivor and Linda Cox, of Chatteris, in Cambridgeshire, were enjoying their stay in the town that included a refreshing pint of Adnams bitter for Mr Cox.

"I really enjoy a pint of Adnams bitter and will always associate it with Southwold," he said.

Mrs Cox added: "It is sad if the town is not to be included in the advertising in the future but if Adnams wants to sell their beers all over the country you can understand what they are trying to do."

Marius Haman wondered what all the fuss was about as he enjoyed his pint of Adnams after arriving in the country just a few days ago.

"This is my first time in England and it is nice to be here in Southwold and enjoying a great pint of beer," said Mr Haman, who is on holiday from his home in Cape Town, South Africa.

His friend Georgina Lunn, of Cambridge, said: "Everyone in East Anglia has heard of Southwold but I suppose people in other parts of the country will not have heard of such a small town.

"I think Southwold and Adnams beers go together so well," she said.

Adnams chairman Simon Loftus has always stressed how the brewery is proud of its links with Southwold.

As well as being the main employer in the area the company supports a wide number of community projects and local charities.

In recent years it has invested millions of pounds in updating equipment to keep the brewery in the seaside town.