He's still got the market all shook up BY MATTHEW LYNN BLOOMBERG NEWS January 31, 2005 It's 27 years since he died, yet Elvis Presley is still topping the sales lists in music stores. The Elvis brand is as potent as it has ever been, possibly more so. And "The King" may be able to give us valuable clues on what makes some brands enduring success stories, while others are just passing fads. No one can question that the man remains a phenomenon. This month, he was back on top of the British charts, scoring the 1,000th British No. 1 with a rerun of his song "One Night." That's part of a campaign in which Presley's record label, SonyBMG, is re-releasing all 18 of his U.K. No.1 singles in consecutive weeks to mark the 70th anniversary of his birthday. Promoting the product "We do a lot to keep the phenomenon growing," said Todd Morgan, director of media and creative development at Memphis, Tenn.-based Elvis Presley Enterprises, the company that owns the rights to the man's work and image. "So we are out there in tourism, with Graceland, on the Internet, in stage shows and in books, wherever we can. If there is a saturation point, we don't seem to have reached it," he said. Elvis has sold more than 1 billion record units worldwide, according to the www.elvis.com Web site, more than any other recording artist in history. Moreover, he topped Forbes magazine's 2004 rankings of earnings by dead celebrities. Elvis' estate had $40 million in revenue last year. Pretty soon you may even be able to own shares in the great man himself. Last month, Robert Sillerman paid $100 million for 85 percent of Elvis Presley Enterprises. Sillerman plans to take the company public. Don't be cruel, be cool So, if he were on a business-school curriculum, what lessons in brand management could we draw from Elvis? Here are four to start with: 1. Be the first. Elvis effectively invented the modern image of the rock star. The sneer, the wiggle, the attitude - he had it all wrapped up from the moment he burst into the charts. The formula has been varied many times since, but never bettered. The lesson? First-mover advantage is crucial. If you create the genre, then you own it. 2. Die young. While this article takes no official position on whether the man is dead, Elvis made a smart career move by shuffling off the scene in 1977. Imagine the shambling, obese 70-year-old Elvis today, recording duets with Britney Spears, and endorsing Viagra on TV commercials. Instead, Elvis' career was the perfect length. The lesson? Create a story for your brand that people can identify with, and make it short. 3. Keep it simple. Elvis' image may have evolved over the two decades he was making records, though only slightly. He got fatter, and the sideburns got a bit longer. Yet, he didn't try to write symphonies, sing Verdi numbers or play King Lear in a movie. He was a singer who could also wiggle his hips a bit. The lesson? Don't extend, change or push the brand. Stick to its essence. 4. When all else fails, boost your sex appeal with black leather. Elvis didn't invent the idea of mixing sex with music, yet he pushed the combination further than anyone else had until that time. He defined an image that has been imitated 1,000 times: a pelvic thrust, a shrug, a slight sneer. The lesson? Nobody ever went broke putting sex into a package and finding a way to sell it. That isn't a complete course in successful marketing. The Elvis brand has also been helped by clever marketing from SonyBMG, which has kept the flame alive by finding new ways to re-release the records. Elvis' estate has carefully nurtured the image, as well. The constant use of his music by advertisers also helps keep his profile high and maintains the legend. Still, follow those four rules, and no product can go wrong. One other lesson, perhaps the most important: Don't step on anyone's blue suede shoes. Copyright © 2005, Newsday, Inc. home | new | the man | lisa marie | priscilla & others | fun | clothes | photos | records | movies | concerts | gifts | web | guide | e-cards | today | facts Click here for more info on the book The Girls' Guide to Elvis Click here to check out sister book The Girls' Guide to Country Click here to check out the latest sister book The Ultimate Guide to Chick Flicks