“Thinking Out Loud”: Inside Ed Sheeran's Tour PR Crisis

Ed Sheeran has been in the news a lot lately, but not for the reasons he'd hoped for during his international tour. The English singer lost all his opening acts during his Loop Tour, so let’s break down, from a public relations standpoint, what caused this crisis.

The Beginning of His Divide

On September 4, Macklemore, Ed Sheeran's opener, spoke out about Palestine during his set on the U.S. Loop Tour. This provoked a negative response among stadium owners, and once it caught on social media, people began expressing their thoughts. Although the topic is controversial, Sheeran knew Macklemore's stance prior to this event, since he actively expresses his opinions online. From a PR standpoint, I think this all could have been avoided if both parties had an agreement on what can be expressed in public. It should also be mentioned, though, that the stadium owner was allegedly told Macklemore would not speak on the issue again, but when night two came around, this was not the case. Keeping your word is an important factor in maintaining relations. Once that commitment was broken, the venue's trust in the tour was damaged. This also damaged the trust between other stakeholders because they now cannot rely on what is agreed upon to be upheld. 

Other stadium owners refused to host the tour if Macklemore was a part of it. So what did Ed Sheeran and his team do? They dropped him. 

This is a bad look for Ed Sheeran and his tour. In his apology, he states it was the tour promoter's choice, not his, but it is ultimately his tour and his image being damaged. I understand that he wanted to try to save the rest of the tour dates, but dropping an artist, especially in today's media, is a big deal. What's even worse is that the rest of Sheeran's openers quit after Macklemore was dropped, in solidarity, leaving Sheeran with no one to open for him. As a rising PR professional, this sounds like a PR nightmare. But how do you begin managing a crisis? You communicate.

The Apology: Less than “Perfect”

If you haven't seen his apology on Instagram, give it a read; I'll link it here. This apology got a lot of mixed reactions from his fans and the general public. I personally don’t like that he wrote the apology in a bulleted list; it's an odd format for such a controversial issue affecting many people. The strategy he used was mostly deflective, ensuring everyone knew the choice to drop Macklemore was the promoters' and there was nothing he could do about it. Whether or not that is the case, I think there could have been more positive responses if he had taken responsibility for his actions rather than pass blame. 

He also gave an in-person apology at the show after Macklemore was dropped and received harsh criticism for "bowing to the mob." He was noticeably reading off a teleprompter, meaning what he was saying was scripted, and he likely didn’t write it himself. Overall, it was a good speech, but it appeared as though it was delivered to help save his image, rather than having him speak from the heart. And yes, he was probably nervous, but from a public-speaking viewpoint, I would have had him practice it more before sending him on stage. Being more familiar with the speech would have allowed him to maintain eye contact with the crowd, which shows confidence and builds trust with the audience; and with an audience of this size, confidence is key to success. Moving forward, if any additional apologies are given, Ed Sheeran and his team need to look at the feedback from previous apologies and see why they didn't work.

Moving Forward: No “Bad Habits”

While influential people like Sheeran are more apt to get swept up in a crisis given the nature of their careers, I do not believe that this is a career-ending issue. There is work that needs to be done to restore the tour and Ed Sheeran's image in the media, but it can be fixed; he and his team just need to start “Thinking Out Loud”. It will take time to rebuild trust among fans, venues, and future prospective openers, but it needs to be done correctly and truthfully. Sheeran will need to establish a clear position and remain consistent in his actions to demonstrate that his words and actions are one and the same. Overall, this incident can help improve future tours by showing why mutual understandings about what can and can't be said need to be established early on. But there is light over the "Castle on the Hill," and this ordeal is a good learning experience for all involved.

About the Author

Chloe is a senior majoring in advertising and public relations with a minor in communications and public advocacy. This is her second semester with GrandPR, where she now serves as an account executive. Along with GrandPR, she gained experience as a communications intern for Family Futures, a non-profit located in Grand Rapids. After graduation, Chloe hopes to pursue a career in sports or political PR.