The Smiths vs Ed Sheeran Merchanside

1. Merch Research
A study of The Smiths vs Ed Sheeran

2. Brief background
• The Smiths were an English rock band
formed in Manchester in 1982. The group
consisted of vocalist Morrissey,
guitarist Johnny Marr, bassist Andy
Rourke and drummer Mike Joyce. Critics
have called them one of the most important
bands to emerge from the
British independent music scene of the
1980s. (wiki)
• Edward Christopher Sheeran, born 17
February 1991, is an English singer,
songwriter, guitarist, record producer, and
actor. In early 2011, Sheeran
independently released the extended
play, No. 5 Collaborations Project. After
signing with Asylum Records, his debut
album, + (pronounced "plus"), was
released in September 2011. It topped the
UK and Australian charts, reached number
five in the US, and has since been certified
eight-times platinum in the UK. (wiki)

3. Target Audiences
• The Smiths original primary target audience would be
working class, Northern English Caucasians aged 16-26
• There is a high level of intertextuality between The Smiths’
work and British New Wave cinema
• the film A Taste of Honey(1961) has been referenced across
many of The Smiths works, with screenplay writer Shelagh
Delaney, appearing on the cover of both the compilation
Louder Than Bombs and the single, Girlfriend in a Coma
• lines from the film are quoted in songs The Hand that
Rocks the Cradle and Reel Around the Fountain, both from
their first studio album:
• “I dreamt about you last night, and I fell out of bed twice”
(Quote: Reel Around The Fountain/A Taste of Honey)
• Another example of intertextuality between British New Wave
Cinema and The Smiths is an extract from a song in the film The
L-Shaped Room (1962) which plays at the start of the Smiths
studio album The Queen is Dead.
• As time has passed, The Smiths' target audience has grown,
now aged 40+
• They have developed a cult following, with original merch
now selling for ridiculous prices

4. Target Audiences
• Ed Sheeran on the other hand, targets a 4
quadrant audience, both old and young men
and women, of all economic backgrounds
• Being a pop singer/songwriter he has a large
following, and targets all of them with his
varied merch

5. Target audiences
• Under "accessories on Ed Sheeran's official
page, there is a whole load of ridiculous merch
targeting a wide variety of audiences
• A ukulele, which Uses and Gratification theory
would suggest identification or aspiration
• A mug, targeting an older target audience with
its duller colour and less garish logo
• Badges, for a tween/teen female audience
• A skateborad, for a male target audience
• A colouring book for kids

6. Vinyl/Retromania• The Smiths would have originally been selling records in
the 80's, and that would have been the main way they
made money.
• However, with the emergence of streaming platforms, and
overall digitisation of music bands must find other ways
• In a way, records have become their own form of merch,
with a recent resurgence in the sale of vinyls
• This has been named "retromania" by theorist Simon
Reynolds
• The original fanbase of The Smiths who were
teenagers/young adults in the 80's (now 40+) would be
interested in buying vinyls for the sake of nostalgia
• This has not been overlooked by Rough Trade Records, as
remasterings of old records have been released on vinyl
• Ed Sheeran on the other hand,
currently has a much younger
fanbase, primarily
teen/tween girls, yet he also
benefits from Reynolds
'retromania', selling vinyls of his
own records

7. Variety
• The Smiths don't have an official shop,
only a fan-made "This Charming Shop",
which has a wide variety of merch
available, a lot of which is original
merch
• This demonstrates the nostalgic
element in their current merchandising
campaign
• The "books" section suggest a more
sophisticated ABC1 audience, but is
actually more nostalgia, full of tour
programmes
• On Ed Sheeran's official page under merch
you can only buy clothing, the most basic
and effective merch
• It clearly divides the audience into basic
demographics, demonstrating the breadth of
his target audience
• Then under the "Acessories" section, there's
an abundance of funky merch options,
targeting a massive audience