Carla Speight is a globally published public relations expert, influencer marketing strategist, talent manager and crisis comms specialist. Ed Sheeran may well be wishing he’d got her to write his widely derided recent statement regarding the removal of Macklemore (and subsequently literally everybody else) from his US tour. But hindsight is a wonderful thing.
“The Ed Sheeran and Macklemore row has filled our feeds, but Manchester showed eight years ago that when something terrible happens, the response that counts is the one that helps people.
For the last few days you couldn’t open a social media app without landing in the middle of the Ed Sheeran row. Macklemore was pulled from the tour after his performative protest in support of Gaza, he then named Ed in a furious statement. Ed replied with a measured statement of his own, and the internet did what it always does. It picked sides, sharpened its knives and went looking for someone to cancel.
I understand the anger. What’s happening to civilians in Gaza is horrific, likewise what happened to the people of Israel on 7th October was equally as horrific. But having spent my career of over a decade advising people in the public eye about all things PR and crisis strategy, I keep asking the same question: What do you hope would happen? What is your truth? From there it’s fairly straight forward for me to work closely with clients to achieve the best possible outcome.
Ed’s statement made it clear that the decision to drop Macklemore came from the promoters and venues, not from him. “I spoke with the venues all week…but the venue’s and promoter’s decision was final”. Yet it’s Ed’s name trending and Ed’s fans being told to boycott. He’s effectively being thrown under the bus for a decision Macklemore and the promoters should have seen coming.
There’s a pattern with a lot of online cancel culture right now. The people making the real decisions are out of reach, so the anger lands on whoever is closest: the pop star, the familiar face, the easy target. Meanwhile the promoters who made the call have stayed relatively quiet and let their headline act take the heat. That isn’t leadership. It’s hiding.
As for Macklemore, he’s entitled to his views, and plenty of people share them. But a protest on stage at someone else’s tour gets clips and headlines. It doesn’t get aid through a border crossing. Naming a colleague who didn’t make the decision doesn’t move the dial for a single family in Gaza either. It just adds fuel to the fire.
Let’s be honest: Benjamin Netanyahu isn’t going to change course because of what a pop star posts. Ed isn’t going to change it either, regardless of what he says. Speak up and he splits his fanbase. Stay quiet and he’s condemned for silence. Either way he loses, and Gaza gains nothing. In the mean time I have to question what was Macklemore hoping would happen? Did he not see this coming? Maybe it was his intention to get the world talking about Gaza, maybe he wanted to seem like the good guy for it. But ultimately he had been warned, due to previous issues with his behaviour and went ahead and did it anyway, leaving venue owners and promoter concerned for the safety of future attendees.
When I watch things like this happen, I can’t help but think back to May 2017, 22 people were killed at the end of an Ariana Grande concert at Manchester Arena. Many of them were young fans. It was the worst thing this city has lived through in a generation. She wasn’t particularly political then, yet her fans were a target of a terror attack. Just imagine, with the heightened emotions on the subject of Gaza, what the response could be. Bondi Beach is just one example of how the division has caused pain and suffering beyond comprehension on both sides. But to actively risk a repeat to May 2017 by making a family show political, it’s just irresponsible. Which again makes me wonder what he was trying to achieve and if he’d really thought about what he’s doing.
When Manchester was under attack, we didn’t respond by getting into arguments or putting other’s at risk. We came together as a community. Taxi drivers switched off their meters to get people home. Residents opened their doors to stranded concert goers. Sikh temples and mosques handed out food and shelter. Blood donation queues stretched down the street. Within two weeks, Ariana Grande was back with One Love Manchester, a concert that raised millions for the families affected, and the city’s emergency fund went on to raise many more.
Nobody at Old Trafford Cricket Ground that night was there to argue their political views, it wasn’t about history of religion. The worker bee became a symbol of a city that pulls together, and people still get it tattooed today. The message was simple: we look after each other, whoever you are.
That’s the difference between performance and action. Manchester’s response changed lives. A viral protest changes a news cycle. I guess they’re right when they say we do things differently here.
If celebrities want to use their huge platforms for Gaza, there are ways to do it that help:
They can fund the people doing the work. Established humanitarian organisations need money for food, water and medical supplies. A pop star who matches their fans’ donations will do more in a week than a year of statements or stunts.
Put their weight behind aid access. Direct action and sustained pressure on those in power have drawn global attention to aid routes. Greta Thunberg sailing towards Gaza with supplies, knowing she’d likely be stopped, forced the world to look at the blockade in a way a tweet never could.
Aim at the decision makers, not each other. I’m talking about the Governments in charge, not colleagues on the same tour. In the 80’s we had Band Aid, In Manchester we had One Love, these celebrities and musicians could easily take note from the Live Aid era and create a collaborative show that includes figures from both sides to come together, raise awareness, money for aid and promote an inclusive message of peace.
This is where Manchester has something to teach the rest of the world. We have one of the largest and longest standing Jewish communities in the UK, and right now many of its members feel unsafe. You can acknowledge the suffering of civilians in Gaza without making your Jewish neighbours feel like targets or villains. Both things can be true at once. When influential voices blur criticism of a government into hostility towards Israel as a whole, Jewish people are left segregated, much like with the Palestinian community, the actions of a few does not account for the many. Ultimately though, real families who have nothing to do with what’s happening in Gaza are left understandably afraid. When celebrities pile in with half thought out statements, they often make the community on the other side of their statements, collateral damage.
This fall out isn’t just an example of a celebrity problem. Brands, venues and employers are all being asked where they stand. There are a few lessons from the tour promoters’ handling of this that all businesses should take note of.
Own your decisions. If you pull an act, say so and explain why. Don’t let your talent take the flak.
Lead with action, not slogans. Support humanitarian relief in practical ways, like donations and staff matching schemes, instead of statements that invite a pile on.
Think about everyone in the room. Your staff and customers include people with family on both sides of this conflict. Messaging should support civilians without alienating communities here at home.
Plan before it happens. If you’re going to take on a highly emotive story, have a crisis plan ready, so you’re not writing a statement at midnight while your name trends.
Ed will recover from this, and so will Macklemore. The families in Gaza need more than a war of words between two musicians.
Manchester showed the world that the best answer to horror is to roll up your sleeves and take action to help each other. If the world of celebrity wants to make a difference with the ongoing conflicts, it could do worse than follow our lead: less performance, more action, and room for compassion for everyone.”
Ed Sheeran image: Drew de F Fawkes/Creative Commons
