Usually Stephen Arnold Music is busy getting creative for their clients’ brands, but once in a while these sonic branding/original music experts turn their creative focus on themselves, with memorable results. They’ve done it again with the release of S.A.M. I AM — a limited-edition vinyl album complete with unforgettable 3D cover art featuring one very musical robot.
“This is not a postcard or a print ad – an LP is a big statement with a lot of square footage to have some fun,” says Stephen Arnold, President of Stephen Arnold Music. "Our first promotional LP won a Gold award in the ‘Sales Promotion – Collateral/Specialty” category at the 2011 PromaxBDA Conference, so we had to top that, and 3D was the way to go. Doing these unique marketing pieces reflects the creative DNA of Stephen Arnold Music, and helps keeps us top of mind.”
The friendly musical Frankenstein that represents Stephen Arnold Music on the album cover is comprised of 42 different audio components – made up of everything from a vintage microphone cranium cap to an amplifier body, and a jawbone assembly straight from Arnold’s ’69 Fender Stratocaster. When viewed with the included 3D glasses, the result is a marketing piece that is as interesting to look at as it is to listen to. Every LP also includes 4 or 5 S.A.M. I AM custom guitar picks.
The innovative album design was created by the Dallas-based creative agency Rucker & Co., which spent over 130 hours making the composite musical robot image and rendering it in 3D.
“This is a visual idea that really grabs your attention and invites you to figure it out,” Doug Rucker, Creative Director of Rucker & Co, says. “Some of the best branding is when you invite the viewer to figure the picture out, and solve what they’re seeing. That keeps the brand in peoples’ minds longer, which is exactly what Stephen Arnold Music accomplishes on a musical level.”
For those who don’t own a record player, a CD is also tucked neatly into the album cover, featuring 13 tracks of original music from Stephen Arnold Music. The collection of songs is part of a world-class catalog consistently called on by ABC, CBS, CNN, Discovery, MSNBC, The Weather Channel, the NHL, and many more top brands.
While their work is frequently scrutinized in focus groups and subject to other scientific research, Stephen Arnold Music will not be crunching any numbers following the release of their own promotional creation.
“We won’t be quantifying the results to see whether or not we got our ROI,” Stephen Arnold confirms. “S.A.M. I AM is simply about consistently keeping your name out there, and doing it in a creative way.”
About Stephen Arnold Music
As a multiple Emmy, Addy and Promax Gold award-winning music production company, Stephen Arnold Music has over 15 years of success in delivering the sounds that make a difference to networks, television stations, advertising agencies, film studios and video game companies the world over. The company’s Commanding Sonic Branding approach to music production and commitment to industry-leading service is at the core of its promise. For more information, please visit www.stephenarnoldmusic.com.
