Ed Sheeran has become one of the 'world's most bankable stars'

Ed Sheeran has become one of the ‘world’s most bankable stars’ working with huge brands like Lego and Pokémon thanks to his ‘signature blend of appealing qualities’, experts claim

Ed Sheeran was at Lego store in Minnesota on Saturday in branded clothing
Singer has had a range of recent deals with other brands from Heinz to AmEx

Ed Sheeran’s wide variety of recent marketing tie-ups highlights his ‘signature blend of appealing qualities’ and how his ‘authenticity is key’, brand experts said today.

The 32-year-old singer’s latest project saw him became a ‘brick specialist’ at the Lego store at the Mall of America shopping centre in Minnesota on Saturday.

He donned a Lego-branded apron and T-shirt, signed products, handed out gifts and took photos with fans – before playing a version of his song Lego House. Experts told MailOnline that celebrities making similar endorsements could earn up to £2million.

It follows a series of tie-ups Sheeran has worked on with other brands in recent months while touring his album Subtract around the world. He is currently playing gigs in North America – with 11 dates still to come before the end of next month.

Subtract was Sheeran’s his sixth studio album and became the UK’s fastest selling album of 2023 in May – but it will be his last record with his current record label.

And he has been working recently on projects with brands from Peloton to Honest Burgers, and American Express to Heinz. Experts said it was important for him to protect ‘the Sheeran brand’ and avoid deals which would ‘detract’ from his music.

Ed Sheeran became a ‘brick specialist’ for the day at the Lego store in Minnesota on Saturday

Sheeran has worked on a deal with Honest Burgers with his new hot sauce brand Tingly Ted’s

Speaking about this range of tie-ups, PR expert Sean O’Meara, managing director of Manchester-based agency Essential Content, told MailOnline today: ‘Ed will be an attractive ambassador for a range of brands across a range of sectors. I can’t think of many people who are an equally good fit for Heinz Ketchup and American Express.

‘He’s got a signature blend of appealing qualities; people perceive him as relatable and authentic, he’s atypical of the male pop star archetype – and leans very much into that – which broadens appeal further, and – so far – he’s managed to navigate more than ten years at the top of his game without even a hint of a scandal.

What the brand and PR experts say about Ed Sheeran’s deals

Brand and culture expert Nick Ede

‘Ed is one of the world’s most bankable stars not only for his music but also for his brand appeal.

‘Because his image doesn’t define him he has the ability to make a lot of money from brands and bring a lot of credibility and value to who he endorses.

‘Already a multi-millionaire, Ed doesn’t need the money but he strategically has managed to infiltrate different demographics by partnering with brands who will be paying millions.

‘The reason he is so appealing is that like Adele he has a unique appeal that is universal. We have seen him grown from humble beginnings but he hasn’t lost touch and this is why brands want to sign him as they know he appeals to all ages, demographics and geographically he is known worldwide and it’s just him! Not a huge band or entourage.

‘The tie-ups with these huge brands will cost them a lot of money but they will all see a massive return for them and for Ed too. All the brands he has associated himself have a strong strategy behind them.

‘None of his deals detract from him or his music which is a very clever way of protecting the Sheeran brand.’

On Lego: ‘Lego have successfully managed to carry on being a huge brand for children and adults and with Ed they have the ability to cement their mass appeal. He will have been paid over £2million for this and the association with a brand that has education at its heart is a really strong association.

On Honest Burgers: ‘Bringing out his own sauce was a fun move and partnering with a distributor allows him to gain more sales and brand visibility. I doubt this is a big money maker yet but it’s a passion project and he loves it and partnering with. Honest burger gives it credibility.’

On Peloton: ‘Partnering with Peloton maximises Ed’s appeal and he will have been paid millions for his participation. Nearly all his collaborations circle round to his music which gives them all an authenticity and also brings in money from downloads.’

PR expert Sean O’Meara, managing director of Manchester-based agency Essential Content

‘Ed will be an attractive ambassador for a range of brands across a range of sectors. I can’t think of many people who are an equally good fit for Heinz Ketchup and American Express.

‘In fact, he came out of his recent copyright legal battle with Marvin Gaye’s estate looking quite statesmanlike, as an advocate for all artists.

‘His audience has witnessed his evolution from scruffy boy next door to married man with kids. And that really opens up the range of brand partnerships possibilities where he can add value. His authenticity is key.

‘It’s easy to picture the family man Ed Sheeran eating at Honest Burger, messing about with Lego and even using guided audio on a nature walk. And we can equally picture the global megastar Ed Sheeran using American Express and partnering with Global Radio.

‘In terms of audience reach, he’s consistently in the elite tier of global pop stars, alongside Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber, so whether he’s helping to flog Lego or Peloton’s latest app, there’s a guarantee of visibility for the brands.

‘I think despite the number of commercial relationships he has, he’s actually quite discerning about who he partners with. From his point of view, these deals and the associated media coverage they attract act as a nice little boost to his profile, which is particularly useful as a jumping off point for things like tour and album announcements.

‘Ed Sheeran obviously doesn’t need the publicity or the money, but there is always a machine in the background supporting artists at his level, and the revenues will be feeding into that operation and supporting the careers of the people working to support Ed.’

‘In fact, he came out of his recent copyright legal battle with Marvin Gaye’s estate looking quite statesmanlike, as an advocate for all artists.’

In April, Sheeran was cleared of copying Marvin Gaye’s classic song Let’s Get It On after a New York jury at the £80million trial ruled that he independently created his 2014 single Thinking Out Loud.

Mr O’Meara added that Sheeran’s audience had ‘witnessed his evolution from scruffy boy next door to married man with kids’.

He continued: ‘And that really opens up the range of brand partnerships possibilities where he can add value. His authenticity is key. It’s easy to picture the family man Ed Sheeran eating at Honest Burger, messing about with Lego and even using guided audio on a nature walk.

‘And we can equally picture the global megastar Ed Sheeran using American Express and partnering with Global Radio.

But Mr O’Meara also said that despite the big number of commercial relationships Sheeran has, he is ‘actually quite discerning about who he partners with’.

He continued: ‘From his point of view, these deals and the associated media coverage they attract act as a nice little boost to his profile, which is particularly useful as a jumping off point for things like tour and album announcements.

Brand and culture expert Nick Ede also spoke to MailOnline about Sheeran today, and said he was ‘one of the world’s most bankable stars not only for his music but also for his brand appeal’.

Mr Ede continued: ‘Because his image doesn’t define him, he has the ability to make a lot of money from brands and bring a lot of credibility and value to who he endorses.

‘Already a multi-millionaire, Ed doesn’t need the money but he strategically has managed to infiltrate different demographics by partnering with brands who will be paying millions.

He said the tie-ups with the major brands ‘will cost them a lot of money but they will all see a massive return for them and for Ed too’, adding: ‘All the brands he has associated himself have a strong strategy behind them.’

Mr Ede said that on the Lego deal, the company has ‘successfully managed to carry on being a huge brand for children and adults and with Ed they have the ability to cement their mass appeal’.

He said Sheeran ‘will have been paid over £2million for this and the association with a brand that has education at its heart is a really strong association’.

Mr Ede added: ‘None of his deals detract from him or his music which is a very clever way of protecting the Sheeran brand.’

Sheeran left school at 16 but the singer was the first artist to surpass 100 million followers on Spotify. And the latest Sunday Times Under 35 Rich List in May this year revealed that he was in seventh place with an estimated wealth of £300million.

His recent tie-up linked to British restaurant chain Honest Burgers was with Sheeran’s hot sauce brand Tingly Ted’s, which he launched in February followed by a TV advertising campaign in June.

In February, Kraft Heinz had announced it was teaming up with Sheeran to co-create the ‘Tingly’ and ‘Xtra Tingly’ hot sauce flavours under the singer’s Tingly Ted’s brand.

Now, the ‘Ted’s Halloumi’ burger at the chain contains Sheeran’s ‘Xtra Tingly Sauce’ along with beef, halloumi, cheese, crispy onions, avocado ranch mayo, lettuce and pickles.

The burger, which retails for £14.50, is only available from August 1 until September 4 at its 42 UK restaurants or via takeaway orders.

The Honest Burgers website says the company are ‘big fans of Tingly Ted’s Xtra Tingly sauce – a fruity jalapeno hot sauce with lots of extra complexity from smoked sea salt, smoked paprika and herbs’.

Adam Layton, Honest Burgers’ head of food, suggested in a press announcement a fortnight ago that it was actually Sheeran himself who contacted the firm about the tie-up.

Mr Layton said: ‘Honest and Ed go way back. So, we were chuffed when the man himself got in touch asking us to be the exclusive restaurant launch partner for Tingly Ted’s. This burger is a world first for the exciting hot sauce brand that is destined to be Ed’s next global smash hit.’

Ed Sheeran features prominently in a new Global radio advertising campaign for Capital

Ed Sheeran has previously worn Duluth Pack gear and was given a customised bag on Saturday

Sheeran has also been doing work with Lowden Guitars on the ‘Sheeran by Lowden’ range

The company added that the first 5,000 people to order the burger would get a free bottle of the sauce – and encouraged people to upload video of themselves singing a song to Instagram or TikTok, adding the hashtag #buskforyourburger and tagging @honestburgers and @tinglyteds, for the chance to win a £250 Honest Burgers voucher.

Speaking about the Honest Burgers deal today, Mr Ede told MailOnline: ‘Bringing out his own sauce was a fun move and partnering with a distributor allows him to gain more sales and brand visibility.

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Ed Sheeran has become one of the 'world's most bankable stars'

Ed Sheeran has become one of the ‘world’s most bankable stars’ working with huge brands like Lego and Pokémon thanks to his ‘signature blend of appealing qualities’, experts claim

What the brand and PR experts say about Ed Sheeran’s deals

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