Would a Modern-Day Elvis Benefit from Modern-Day Media?

I'm not an extreme fan of Elvis Presley but it's hard not to admire the celebrity status he achieved during his entertainment career. What's most impressive to me was his ability to become arguably the most famous person on the planet during a time when there weren't as many avenues of communication that we enjoy today.

That Elvis achieved such fame with such a limited, albeit global, stage has always made me wonder what height of recognition he could have achieved had his career existed in modern times. Similar to my pondering about how modern marketers would utilize telegrams, I enjoy exploring ways Elvis’ would have been promoted with the likes of social media, the web and other tools of today. Don’t get me wrong – there’s no doubt that Elvis was huge. After all, I’m only 2 paragraphs into this post, referring to him by only his first name, and you know exactly who I’m writing about.

First, let’s look at the ways Elvis became so well-known during the 50s, 60s and 70s.

• Radio – everyone knows the story of Elvis recording his first song at Sun Records in 1954. It wasn’t long until a larger studio signed him and took his talents nationwide. The popularity of his hit records would lead to appearances on...
• Television – the still-budding medium showcased Elvis’ musical talents further. He knew the significance of TV - - approximately 60 million viewers watched his appearance on the Ed Sullivan show in September of 1956 - - and agreed to appear on various shows for large sums of money. His success on TV sparked ideas in Hollywood and soon executives were asking Elvis to appear in their...

• Movies – Elvis never won any awards for his acting (he only won 1 Grammy, come to think of it) but including Elvis in your motion picture guaranteed extra ticket sales. It was a great branding move for Elvis, too. It gave people exactly what they wanted: more Elvis in any form possible. 

Elvis reportedly only made one commercial in his career so he didn’t exactly line his pockets or expand his notoriety by lending his celebrity to product endorsements. In addition to Radio, TV and Movies, live performances and word-of-mouth played significant roles in the growth of Elvis’ legend. But that’s really it. Those are huge avenues to propel fame but you have to admit that lineup doesn’t make for many channels. Today’s stars benefit from so much more: social media interaction with fans, a 24-hour news cycle, MTV (well, not so much anymore), digital music that makes for a more portable experience – the list is endless. But Elvis had (and still has) two other factors that have helped maintain his iconic status.

SCANDAL

Elvis’ later years were shrouded with scandal, from his divorce (which is sadly expected of today’s celebrities) to his drug use to his untimely death. It was all interconnected and played out in front of the world. His drug use turned him into a larger, incoherent version of himself, leaving fans puzzled at his bungled concert performances. News and information is shared so quickly and so frequently today that it takes a lot - - an awful lot - - to shock us. That requirement wasn’t as lofty back in the 70s, when Elvis’ world went into a spiral. Not only were fans truly shocked at his behavior, they couldn’t explain it. An unauthorized photo of Elvis’ corpse paved a golden road for The National Enquirer, which often uses man’s natural attraction to mystery to its advantage. This publication thrives on positioning itself as having access to information, true or not, that is normally not available - especially in the 70s and 80s.

Shadowy conspiracy theorists lapped it up (and still do – Elvis is still alive, after all) but they make up only a small portion of the biggest factor that has helped Elvis stay in the spotlight, decades after his death.

FANS

Elvis fans span the globe and seemingly overlook the weirdness from his final years. They flock to Graceland, buy his music and collect his merchandise at paces that continue to break records. It’s these fans – not the conspiracy theorists – that prompted the creation of Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. to manage Elvis’ estate, which was the 2nd most profitable estate of deceased celebrities in 2015.

ELVIS + MODERN MEDIA = ??? 

There’s no doubt that modern media, such as a sharp website and a verified Twitter account, has helped Elvis Presley stay current with the times and propel his estate to tremendous earnings.

"Oh girl of mine you make my day." #Elvis

A photo posted by Elvis Presley (@elvis) on Oct 16, 2015 at 10:05am PDT

But if Elvis' career played out out today instead of the 50s, 60s and 70s, would modern media be a big asset and launch his career to an even higher level? I don’t think so.

Today’s platforms, like social media, spawned out our need to be constantly amused. That makes for frequent flame-outs. We abandon interests quickly and few entertainers have staying power these days. That’s not to say Elvis couldn’t break through – I just think the pace at which Elvis was promoted on the few avenues in his heyday (he was all over the place) would not translate to a tolerable level in today’s world. If you think about it, the lessened level of exposure in his heyday may have been what whetted appetites and made fans want more of Elvis.

These are the weird things I think about late at night. Do you agree that the existence of the web and other modern media would have hindered – and not helped – Elvis’ career? Let me know in the comments or send me a tweet!

Thank you, thank you very much for reading.