First Drinks Brands is going for the direct approach in the latest advertising for fino sherry Tio Pepe. Its latest £750,000 magazine and press campaign will feature the simple suggestion Food tastes better after a glass of Tio Pepe' and is a shift away from last year's Always look on the dry side of life' initiative. In 2001, First Drinks made a commitment to spend £2m on the brand each year for three years in a dermined bid to put life back into the ailing sherry market. However, it faces an uphill struggle, as the category has been in long-term decline since its peak in the 1970s when it sold 16 million cases a year in the UK. Sales in 2001 were less than nine million. Last year First Drinks redesigned the pack and began a campaign to move the brand away from the traditional sweet association the category is burdened with. The new campaign will run from Monday (June 3) until October in national newspapers and consumer magazines. It will be advertising on London-based radio stations Heart, Virgin and News Direct and the brand will be on Sainsbury's shopping trolleys in stores in the M25 area. A spokesman for First Drinks said the company has set its sights on 25 to 44-year-old upmarket consumers and aims to encourage them to enjoy Tio Pepe as an aperitif. {{DRINKS }}