New Effort Tries To Shake Up Graceland

Twenty-eight years after Elvis Presley’s death, his Graceland home still draws a steady 650,000 visitors each year. But the new owners of Elvis Presley Enterprises think they can boost that figure by 25 percent next year with increased marketing that includes Graceland’s first TV spots, additional appeals abroad and bonus tours to attract repeat visitors.

“We never had a brand awareness problem. Everybody knows who Elvis is, but we want to remind them that his home is in Memphis,” said Jennifer Burgess, director of marketing for EPE since 1997.

Entrepreneur Robert Sillerman purchased controlling interest in EPE from Lisa Marie Presley, Elvis’ daughter, in February for $100 million.