It started last night. Single file, tens of thousands of mourners—some from halfway around the world—have solemnly passed through an iconic set of iron, music-note-embellished gates to light a candle and pay their respects to a man who died exactly 40 years ago today. The mass vigil is the cornerstone of an annual, week-long event that features concerts, panel discussions and even a 5K run.

And the whole thing shows no sign of ending anytime soon.

Some people probably look at the scene taking place in Memphis this week and think it’s all kind of crazy, but not me. You see, like millions of others out there, I’m an Elvis fan. (Full disclosure: I am actually writing this post while wearing a shirt emblazoned with a large lightning bolt and block letters spelling out “TCB.”) In fact, during our junior year in college, I even convinced Carrie to give up her spring break to join me on a cross-country pilgrimage to Memphis to see Graceland and tour various other Elvis-centric points of interest. As a result, or maybe even in spite of that trip, today our youngest son’s legal middle name is Presley.

So, why is it that a guy that was just 21 months old when Elvis died feels such a strong connection to him?

Is it the music?

To be honest, while I do have quite a few Elvis songs in my iTunes library, and personally think he has one of the best voices in modern music, I really don’t listen to him all that much.

Is it the movies?

Outside of Jailhouse Rock—and maybe one or two others—I actually find most Elvis movies to be downright cringe worthy.

So, what is it about Elvis that sucked me in?

The image—or in marketing terms—the whole Elvis brand.

Elvis: The original primal brand

No person, company or organization on the face of the earth has created a more robust, recognizable and sustainable brand as Elvis. In Primal Branding, one of my all-time favorite marketing books, Patrick Hanlon outlined the following components of great brands.

1. The creation story
2. The creed
3. The icons
4. The rituals
5. The pagans
6. The sacred words
7. The leader

Not only does Elvis check off every box, he goes into depths I personally haven’t witnessed with any other brand.

1. The creation story: Dirt-poor country kid who got his big break recording a song as a birthday present for his mom. (It doesn’t really matter that the last part of that story probably isn’t even true.)
2. The creed: For companies, the creed could be their mission statement, but for Elvis, it is as simple as being the undisputed “King of Rock and Roll.”
3. The icons: While most brands rely mainly on their logo, the icons related to Elvis include the sound of his voice, sideburns, rhinestoned jumpsuits, gold-framed glasses, pink Cadillacs and hound dogs just to name a few.
4. The rituals: Do something nice for an Elvis fan and chances are, they’ll show their gratitude with a deep, Southern-tinged “Thank you … thank you very much.”
5. The pagans: During his rise to fame in the mid to late 50s pastors routinely broke his records and claimed Elvis as a perverted anti-Christ—try finding more clearly defined pagans than that.
6. The sacred words: From the “Memphis Mafia” to that TCB shirt I’m wearing (which in case you haven’t Googled it yet, stands for “Taking Care of Business in a Flash”) Elvis fans have an entire glossary of terms that both unites and defines them.
7. The leader: Since Elvis was actually a living, breathing person, he seems like the obvious choice in this category, but anyone who knows the true story behind The King would probably identify the real leader of the “Elvis brand” as his long-time manager, Col. Tom Parker.

Put it all together, and you have one of the most powerful, tribe-inducing brands in history— one that earned $27 million in 2016 alone. A brand so well established, that generations from now, the name Elvis will still be able to conjure up powerful images within the mind of virtually anyone you meet. So, while Elvis may have officially left the building for the final time 40 years ago today, the brand he created is eternal.