than he was in the latter part of his career. Many rock-and-roll bands followed, striving for the impact and connection Elvis had with his fans. Some were successful; others werent. But all were aided by the King of Rock and Roll, who paved the way for the mainstream rockers of the 1960s-from Bob Dylan to the Beatles-and opened the door for the next wave-from the Rolling Stones to Led Zeppelin. Elviss passion never swayed far from his roots. He loved gospel music; it was his favorite to listen to and to sing. Though he gave a gen- eration of fans a soundtrack of music to live by-"Love Me Tender" for romantic moments, "In the Ghetto" for reflective times, and "Jailhouse Rock," "Blue Suede Shoes," and "Hound Dog" for dancing-he would be most honored and recognized for his gospel works. During the span of his relatively short career, the King of Rock and Roll was nominated for 16 Grammy awards, but ironically never won one for rock and roll. He did, however win three Grammys for his gospel albums. He re- minds us that sometimes our greatest successes can be derived from the skills and areas about which we are most passionate, investing in our greatest strengths and evolving without straying too far from our core competencies. Though a Grammy for rock and roll eluded him,     he was included in the first group honored by induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in 1986.       Achieving Cult ur al Ado ption   Marketers salivate at the prospect of achieving levels of brand recog- nition and fan loyalty approaching those achieved by Elvis. He is one of Americas most recognizable icons. Even after his death, the loyalty of his fans has been unwavering, with thousands flocking to Grace- land each year to pay homage to the King. Though we may laugh at Elvis impersonators and the velvet portraits of Elvis sold at flea mar- kets throughout the country, no one can deny that fans adopted him into their families and lifestyles, and America adopted him as part of its culture. Figure 2.1 diagrams the process Elvis and other legendary rock bands have used to make this type of long-term connection with fans. Studying this process of acceptance by society reveals that a brands relevance to, representation of, and influence on culture are crucial to creating a long-term relationship and to eventual adoption by society. Culture refers to the values, ideas, artifacts, and symbols that help individuals communicate, interpret, and evaluate as members of soci- ety. It is the "blueprint" of human activity, determining the coordi-