Sechs beer billboards draw controversy - Weekly Specialty & Import Beer Report - Sechs Brewing Company's advertising considered to have sexual content - Brief Article

Modern Brewery Age, March 15, 2004

The Sechs Brewing Co., the Grand Rapids, MI-based contract brewer, has stirred controversy with its Michigan billboards, although that can't have been a surprise.

The Sechs Light beer billboards have slogans like: "How you have Sechs is none of our business," "As long as you're 21, it's OK to pay for Sechs" and "It's OK to have Sechs by yourself."

Critics say that the billboards constitute sexual content, however vague and puckish they might be.

The Michigan campaign for the beer started in Grand Rapids and has moved east through Jackson, Lansing, and on to Ann Arbor.

"The first billboard campaign was the next level in our test marketing to sort of get the name out there. (It's) about creating awareness," said Michael Lipscomb, President of Sechs Beer told the local press.

Lipscomb dismissed this argument. "I have kids and I know that my kids understand that kind of advertising. What we try to do is try to be a little bit more cerebral in nature and have fun with a product that obviously is geared for 21 and older adult drinkers."

The ads have created a stir in normally staid Michigan, but for Sechs beer, any publicity seems to be good publicity.

"We've had positive. We've had negative. Both have translated into sales," said Lipscomb.