I reported Ed Sheeran to the Advertising Standards Authority 😇

Nothing personal, I love the guy. If you don't believe me, there's a post scriptum at the end because those details are not important, and it's a bit of a humble brag, so I'll spare you the reading if you don't want to.

So what happened?

Here's the TL;DR, as I expect some people will want to click out of the article after reading it.

I pre-ordered his signature hot sauces and one of "his" marketing teams lied and sent zero communication about potential issues.

It's also a very much first-world problem. You can think it's silly, petty, you name it. And that's fine, you can go on with your day now.

I'm myself a very much "no pre-orders" person but this seemed like a pretty reasonable and trustworthy campaign, with no upfront payment. Another cue for you to close the article if you find it even sillier now.

But if you're still here, I have a story to tell.

Why the heck are you pre-ordering sauces?

We step a bit outside of the music industry because a couple of months ago Ed announced the launch of... his signature hot sauces.

Why the f... have I pre-ordered SAUCES?!

Well, I already said I love the guy.

But it's also well-documented that he loves a hot sauce, and so do I.

Some of my friends wanted to get them for the same reasons, maybe minus the love for hot sauces in some cases.

I've placed a pre-order for a few bundles (that was the only option - a hot sauce, and a second hotter sauce) around the 21st of February, killing a few birds with one stone.

There was no release date at that point, but the website and marketing materials were clear about one thing:

The pre-orders would be delivered before the supermarket launch.

Did I care? Not really, but also yes.

As mentioned, it didn't feel like a significant breach of my "no pre-orders" rule. There was no upfront payment, the promises sounded reasonable, and it made sense that the pre-order could've served as a sort of test before the supermarket launch.

While I appreciate partnering with Heinz to release a sauce sounds like a low-risk endeavour, in my head it makes perfect sense.

I didn't care about being first or ahead of anyone, but I do care about the promise that was made. After all nobody likes being lied to.

What happened with the pre-order?

It was a combination of things, but with one primary reason that was plain lies, dishonest marketing and an absolute lack of communication.

I was already angered by other reminders of how fans are treated, especially in the realms of mainstream music. I've written about the atrocious state of music ecommerce in the past:

They were, unfortunately, also related to Ed - but it applies to the entire biz, and it just triggered a wave of memories and awareness.

Marketing in music is ruthless when it comes to abusing FOMO and other digital psychology phenomena. It's not uncommon for artists to release dozens of "special" album editions just to get more sales for that number one spot. They pair albums with "limited" merch drops... and don't even get me started on the quality and creativity of some merch these days 🤢

Fast forward to the end of March, and I've noticed people posting on social media that the sauces were found at supermarkets in the Netherlands.

That's also when I found out that earlier that week, a release date was announced for the UK. Asda would stock the sauces from the 30th of March, with other supermarkets to follow in early April.

There was ZERO communication about the pre-orders at that point. You'd think they would cave in and send an update when they figured out internally that the supermarket launch will happen before.

An email to the customer support resulted in the expected "we'll look into it, thanks, sorry" answer. I wasn't in the report-mode at that stage, but I have certainly thought about it. Heck, I still left my pre-order untouched after exchanging a few messages with them.

So why the ASA?

I'm just tired of abusive marketing is the simplest way I can put it.

It's a theme in mainstream music, if not music overall.

But a day after finding it all out and talking to the customer service, I found someone sharing a response they got from customer service.

Their pre-order, due to be shipped "in the next coming weeks" as of the 3rd week of February, is schedule for the end of April. A full month after launching in the UK & European supermarkets 😳

At that point there was just one thought in my head: "They're taking the piss."

But there's more! I've found another "explanation" posted by someone who pre-orderd... they said it's because the "promotion" (which I assume referred to the supermarket launch) was handled by a different company.

So now YOUR organisational mess is my problem, as the customer? Kindly piss off.

The pre-order claims were flat out lies, and they knew it either a couple of weeks ago, or from the get go. All things considered, I think they knew damn well that most people are not getting the pre-orders before the supermarket launch.

Part of my professional responsibilities is healthy marketing. We do our best to do "the right" things and we try to only work with companies that share those values.

It would be hypocritical to NOT report this, no matter how little and silly it might feel externally.

Not to sound overly "inspirational" but they truly only do it because they can. The target for those hot sauces was mostly his music fan base. I'm too aware of how influenceable they are to put things like that past marketers.

While sauces that cost a few quid are not "it", these people often sacrifice financial well-being for the connection with the artist. This applies to show and merch.

Is it healthy? Hell no. A lot of that screams "parasocial relationship".

But is it their fault? Also hell no, especially since most of them are young and don't know better, or just can't know better yet.

At the moment, participating in mainstream music gives you two choices:

• get used
• don't participate

I'm closer to the latter than ever. One person less won't change anything, and if I give up on a concert ticket or a new "limited" drop the next time around, there are probably thousands in line for my spot (and 10x more scalpers). But I'll definitely sleep better knowing I didn't just pay to get f'd.

PS The promised additional context/humble brag. I do believe this adds even more context to how I feel about it, but I'm just warning you again in case you need to click away and don't want to read about me being an Ed Sheeran fan.

I'm too nice, and you've been warned.

As I said, I love the guy. Opinions aside, I've seen him live at the O2 in 2023. It might be insignificant, but I'm a hater of stadium concerts (though his Wembley show with the stage in the centre was brilliant) and the bloke played to 106k of people in Australia just weeks back. Seeing him in an arena is a treat, if I do say so myself.

That was first of my two birthday treats. The second was... two days later, where we went from 20k of people at the O2 to 3k in Hammersmith at the Apollo with a first live preview of Subtract, his next album, at a gig where recording was prohibited and all electronic devices were secured in special pouches. I think you can figure out how special that was, even if you hate the guy.

Finally, go back to October 2022 and I was lucky enough to win two tickets to a charity gig at Union Chapel, with an audience of just over 1,000 and the same no-phone policy. That was thanks to Shout, a mental health charity.

So my three latest Ed Sheeran gigs total 24k, while he plays to 100k+ in a single night like it's nothing. Mental.

If you think this is a flex, fair enough. I won't say no, but I'm also not saying yes.

I'm just sharing who I am to make the argument that if *I'm* pissed about it, then everyone else should be.

I'm not a random Karen (sorry to all the Karens, it's just a meme) that wants to speak to the manager.

This is one of MANY problems in marketing and advertising. And if we just brush it off as a minor inconvenience, it will stay that way or probably get even worse.

I'm not perfect and Ed will definitely see more of my money in the future. But not with this one. I'm stubborn and I don't want those sauces for free now.

If you, the reader, have any influence on campaigns like this and doing good by your customers, please do better. I'm literally begging you.