When reputational repair hits the wrong note.

As the famous chorus line goes in Joni Mitchell’s classic song, Big Yellow Taxi, “Don’t it always seem to go, that you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone?”

It is a tune that Ed Sheeran could be forgiven for humming amid the ongoing debacle over his world tour.

After support act Macklemore was withdrawn from the bill for expressing pro-Palestinian views on stage, other artists steadily began to fall away, leaving the pop star with no support. Among those who deserted Sheeran was Finneas, the brother of pop star Billie Eilish, who said in a statement: “Artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed.”

The departures came hours after Sheeran said he would not be drawn into a public debate over Gaza, and stressed he was not responsible for Macklemore being removed from the tour.

“Macklemore coming off tour was the promoter’s decision, it was not mine,” Sheeran said on Instagram.

“I would never let down the fans who had made plans, nor would I abandon the touring crew and the other support acts and musicians who rely on me for work and to make a living.”

While doing something is usually better than nothing, in Sheeran’s case, this intervention simply made things worse. A closer look at his statement explains why.

“Those who come to my shows do not expect a political forum,” he wrote. “I respect Macklemore’s strength of purpose to stand up and shout for what he believes.

“However, there is room for multiple approaches to the same end: Peace.

“I choose to use my fame and platform to be a place of safety and sanctuary, to maintain diplomacy and keep conversations open, not closed. If we only focus on shouting the loudest, nothing will ever change. There are different approaches to being an advocate for change.”

Without getting into rights and wrongs of Middle East politics, and whether Sheeran should, as Macklemore urged, have taken a stance, what is clear from his statement is it lacked the heartfelt authenticity of the songs that have made him a worldwide star. And having grossed an estimated net worth of £370 million, his fans are clearly suspicious that his renowned way with words failed him at this significant conjecture in his career.

Notably, Sheeran’s Instagram account lost 150,000 followers in the aftermath, while Macklemore’s account soared by 750,000 followers. The rapper also pledged his $1m earnings from Sheeran’s tour to Palestinian aid organisations and challenged Sheeran’s promoter to match him. Faced with the prospect of implosion, both Sheeran and US stadium owner, billionaire Robert Kraft, have reportedly agreed to donate $2m each “to fight this humanitarian crisis”.

With his shambling, dishevelled appearance, and trademark low key checked shirts, Sheeran has never cultivated the image of a global superstar. It’s hard to imagine him on the cover of Men’s Health flashing his abs, a la Justin Bieber. He is also known for his philanthropy, donating his entire wardrobe to charity in 2014 and running a charity providing music lessons to under-18s in his home county of Suffolk.

Against this humble backdrop, his initial sorry/not sorry approach simply didn’t wash, and it remains to be seen whether his actions can speak louder than his previous words.

The first rule of crisis comms is that any intervention should aim for repairing reputation: sometimes that means apologising; on other occasions it means explaining the circumstances to achieve balance; often, it is both. But at the very least, it requires those in the thick of it to act with integrity, own up to any mistakes, demonstrate accountability, and outline clear corrective actions. Without taking these steps, reputation management can quickly backfire and destroy any remaining vestiges of trust.

Ed Sheeran’s Mr Nice Guy image is crumbling, and the damage is becoming serious. After more than a decade of dominating the music industry, time will tell if he can retain his appeal among all but his most ardent fans.

If you’d like to talk to BIG about how we can solve your reputational challenges, please get in touch.