Winston Churchill had lopsided features, which may be a link to why he was such a successful leader of Britain during WW2.

Psychologists have discovered that people with asymmetrical features make the most effective leaders.

I wonder if the same theory might be applied to art in its historical context?

Throughout history the arts have lurched between the Classical and Romantic, or symmetry and asymmetry.

The most well known period was the Renaissance, a time of classical beauty and symmetry. This was then followed by the Baroque, a period of disturbance, mayhem and asymmetry.

This is best seen in Michelangelo’s two great works in the Sistine Chapel, Rome. The ceiling is calm and ordered, in the High Renaissance style, while the Last Judgment, in the Mannerist style, was much more chaotic. This was the pre curser to the Baroque period, where art and sculpture displayed more exuberance and exaggerated motion.

Advertising has also followed the same swings. In the 60s there was the Helmet Krone inspired VW campaign and in the 70s and 80s we had the classic British print campaigns like Sainsburys, Commercial Union and Stella Artois.

Then came the dark days of the mid 90s. This brought the off the wall and totally asymmetrical work out of Holland like the Hans Brinker Hotel work from KesselsKramer, Amsterdam. The advertising was so unusual that they even published a book titled; “The Worst Hotel in the World”

I wonder if, when times are tough, we don’t need the off the wall, asymmetric approach to selling?

After all there has never been a more confusing market place than now.

The stock market lurches between Bear and Bull and the politics waver between The Tea party and the Occupy Wall Street movement.

The WWW has opened up the Pandora’s box, that’s new media, and know one knows where that will lead us.

Or perhaps we just need some talented creative directors with lopsided features?

Wine growers, or maybe it’s the wine marketers, seem to understand the power of a yarn.

The Boobook owl is the story that Forest Hill Vineyards, in the great southwestern region of Western Australia, use to market their Cabernet Merlot variety. Apparently the owl’s very distinctive call can be heard around the vineyard at night.

While the name Annie’s Lane, in the Clare Valley, came from the story of Annie Wayman. This is what’s on the back of their label.

“Annie Wayman was a legend in the Clare Valley. She could always be relied upon to bring along sandwiches and a warm drink to harvesters and pruners in the vineyard at the turn of the 20th century. One evening, Annie’s horse and cart got bogged in a lane adjacent to one of the valley’s best vineyards. Thus, Annie’s Lane was born.”

Most people buy wine just before they consume it and most are heavily influenced by the label, so what better way to get these impulse buyers to choose a product, than to give them something to remember it by, a good story?

Henry Ford famously made the claim about the colour range of the Model T.

“Any customer can have a car painted any colour that he wants so long as it is black.“

It’s these stories that empower the consumer to talk about a product and that’s the best way to get it remembered.

The copywriter has long used story telling to aid brand association. However with the current trend, of little or no copy in ads, this art has been lost.

I guess I will just have to read more wine labels.