In the Lonely Hour

In the Lonely Hour:

An Analysis of the Public Relations Efforts for
Smiths Debut American Tour
Rachel G. Allen
California State University, Fullerton

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Abstract
The premise of the following paper is based off of research on the overall effectiveness of public
relations efforts for singer Sam Smiths debut American tour In the Lonely Hour. Through
research on traditional and new forms of media I was able to evaluate the tactics used by Smiths
PR team Purple PR, and analyze them in respect to the goals and objectives set in place by their
PR plan. Publicity for the tour included an especially strong new media use including an
excellent presence on social media. Smith created a positive buzz for his image using
engagement, both interacting with fans in person and interacting online with them. Traditional
media efforts such as an interview for the Guardian, a live performance for AMP Radio, a
performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and a performance on the MTV VMAs all proved to
garner awareness and were in line with the goals and objectives of the PR plan for the tour. The
plan implemented by Purple PR was an example of real-time communication and was overall an
effective plan that achieved set goals and objectives.

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Sam Smith is a 22-year-old singer and songwriter from England who broke out onto the
music scene just two years ago with a feature on Disclosures song Latch. He received his first
number one single just a short year later in 2013, released his first album In the Lonely Hour
earlier this year, and is now making his way from English crooner to American pop phenomenon.
While Smiths success came quickly, he is still a newcomer in the industry and generating the
right publicity for his debut U.S. tour was crucial to his rising success. The Purple PR teams
objectives included the successful crossover to mainstream American music and increasing
awareness of Smith and his upcoming In the Lonely Hour tour. Their goals included utilizing
online, new, and traditional media efforts to engage fans and create buzz. Their publicity efforts
for the tour occurred from August 1st through October 10th when the tour finished.
Just a month before the launch of his American tour on August 15th, Sam Smith appeared in an
interview in the The Guardian. In the article entitled Sam Smith: 'I'm so scared for when it's
going to stop', Hattenstone (2014) interviewed Smith on his life since becoming famous, his
new album In the Lonely Hour, and his upcoming tour. In the article Smith was refreshingly
candid and open about his personal life, including his sexuality. He answered inquiries casually
and talked about how the origin of the album was entirely about a guy he was in love with.
This article was a chance to strengthen his relationship with current fans and gain exposure from
music lovers who had not heard of Smith. The timing of the interview allowed for Smith to enter
into peoples minds just in time for his upcoming tour. His openness about his personal life,
family, inspiration on the album and his sexuality was excellent PR for his image as an artist. He
has a substantial following from the LBGT community because of his openness on his sexuality

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and his fan base consists of millenials who mainly support the LBGT community, even if they do
not identify themselves. Overall, this interview was in line with all the PR objectives and goals
for his U.S. tour, because fans were able to read about his accomplishments in the industry thus
far, get to know Smith on a more personal level, and the overall tone of the article showcased
Smiths as a positive and genuine artist. The timing for this interview was correct, because
although tickets are sold out at this point, it leaves fans that missed out on this tour eager to
attend his next tour. As an alternative, I think it would have been a great addition to create a
video of the interview for the Guardians online site. A video version of the interview could have
added another dimension that is often missed by traditional interviews because you are able to
see facial expressions and body language.
According to AMP online, on August 25th, Sam Smith performed exclusively for Los Angeles
radio station AMP radio at the Red Bull Sound Space. He performed several songs live in front
of a small audience of lucky listeners for 15 minutes, did an interview before his set, met and
greeted with fans, and posed for selfies with fans. Smith even insisted that fans come up on stage
to personally ask their fan questions (M. Boros, personal communication, August 25, 2014). He
also took part in a lightning round of interview questions during this event, which were later
uploaded to the website via video. This was a great PR move because it allowed a small audience
to experience an intimate mini-concert. His pre-interview and interaction with fans demonstrated
Smiths genuine appreciation for his loyal fans. This type of engagement and real-time
communication is essential for creating a positive image. This PR effort was in line with the
objective and goals because it was targeted to the Los Angeles audience. His upcoming
performance at the Greek Theatre was promoted in front of this audience to push last minute
promotion in time for Los Angeles fans. As an alternative for this event, Smith could have

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offered fans a copy of his CD and signed it. A signed CD is a small item that allows attendees to
take home something tangible from the event and keep it in their minds well after the event is
over.
On August 4th, Sam Smith appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live with electronic group Disclosure to
perform their hit song Latch (Greenberg, 2014). Earlier this year, Latch, which features
Smiths vocals, helped Smith break out onto the music scene. He appeared on the same show
with guests Kim Kardashian, Damon Wayans Jr., and Jake Johnson and received coverage in the
press for becoming fast friends with Kim Kardashian as they posted pictures together on social
media and tweeted to each other. This was an excellent PR opportunity for Smith, because of
Jimmy Kimmel Lives large viewership and late night slot on television. This appearance helped
fulfill his PR goals and objectives by allowing him to gain exposure from a large American
audience just a month before his American tour. If I could change anything about this PR effort, I
wouldve loved to see Sam Smith as the interviewee, not just as a musical guest because Smiths
personality shines through interviews and is a strength of his that only helps build his cult
following. Alternatively, I would have arranged for Smith to be featured in one of Kimmels skits
throughout the show to create a unique form of buzz during this time.
One of the largest and most successful PR tactics used in the realm of traditional media for
Smiths upcoming tour was his performance on the MTV Video Music Awards on August 24th;
just three weeks before his debut American tour. Not only did Smith show off his talents with a
performance of his popular single Stay With Me, but he was nominated for the Artist To Watch
award and Best Male Video award (Ignjatovic, 2014). This was a big moment in effective PR for
Smith, because his performance showcased who he was as an artist: a soulful pop star with raw
powerhouse vocal ability. He performed without any frills: just his microphone, a piano and

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commanding vocals. The camera highlighted popular celebrities such as Jennifer Lopez and the
Kardashian sisters singing and dancing along to his performance, which boosted his status from a
rookie to a sudden celebrity favorite. Prior to performing, he was introduced to the audience by
Kim Kardashian as her personal friend. In addition, during the show, Smith sat in between Katy
Perry and Miley Cyrus and received lots of face time from the camera. His connection with two
of the biggest pop stars in the industry helped him gain attention and buzz from the press and
fans. Later that night Smith posted a picture to Instagram with singer Katy Perry and Miley
Cyrus as Perry took a selfie of the three (http:/instagram.com/samsmithworld). He also posted
pictures with Kim Kardashian, Iggy Azalea, the Kendal and Kylie Jenner, and Beyonc. This PR
effort was the most helpful in achieving the goals and objectives set in place for his American
tour. As one of the biggest American award shows for fans of pop music, this was the ideal
platform for Smith to gain exposure in the American press. Between his performance,
nominations, and popularity with multiple big stars at the VMAs, if anyone had not heard of Sam
Smith, they definitely did now. The success came from buzz created in a positive way; he nailed
his performance and he raised his status of newcomer to rising star. If I could have changed
anything about this PR effort, I would have had set up more pre-red carpet interviews in addition
to the coverage he received during the VMAs.
In addition, On October 3rd and October 10th Smith performed in front of fans at the Miller Stage
at the Austin City Limits Music Festival in Austin, Texas (the ACL Festival, 2014). The annual
festival has become one of the most frequented music festivals in the U.S. and festivals trend has
become a hot commodity for music lovers as of late. His performance at ACL was a great way to
create awareness and buzz among a large audience. From the press to word-of-mouth publicity,
music festivals are an important staple for any artist to frequent. Festivals are what have become

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important to music lovers today and it is a venue in which fans can discover new artists. Smith
posted a picture to Instagram during the first week of ACL of his band and him performing with
the caption, I genuinely cant get over this crowd today. Austin, WOW (Smith, 2014). Smith
effectively opened up a dialogue of two-way communication with his fans by engaging with
them in real-time via social media. This type of engagement again, sets Smith apart from other
musicians because he is able to make any event with his fans more intimate. I wouldnt have
changed anything about this PR effort because I thought it successfully aided in satisfying the PR
goals and objectives for his American tour and the timing was a strong tool because the festival
took place during the middle of his U.S. tour.
In terms of new media Smith had several modern channels to fulfill the PR objectives and goals
set for his U.S. tour. He has a strong presence of social media including Facebook, Twitter, and
Instagram and posts several times a day. Smith has 783,000 followers on Twitter and frequents
this channel the most, posting up to 10 times a day on occasion. Instagram is his second most
used social media channel with 909,000 followers and daily posts. His Facebook account is liked
by 2,070,165 users and while his Facebook is not as frequent as other social media, he still
manages to share news via Facebook at least once every other day. Smith creates personal posts
on his accounts, which sets him apart from other musicians or celebrities in the industry who do
not manage their own accounts. He has become a master of real-time communication as he
frequently updates his fans either before or during events, creating a genuine dialogue between
his audience and him. Not only does he frequently address his fans, his messages are humble and
genuine such as thanking his fans for all of their support. This type of connection is essential in
PR today, because fans are eager to connect with an artist on a deeper level with the advent of
social media. In Smiths case, he addresses his fans via social media like they were his close

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friends and that is what makes him successful in his new media efforts. In addition, he utilizes
new media efforts that go further than traditional PR efforts and cater to a modern audience, such
as live chats, online contests, and content videos.
He participated in two live chats via social media during the promotion period of his tour.
According to his Twitter account (http://twitter.com/samsmithworld) Smith held a live Twitter
chat with his followers on August 8th in which he answered 15 lucky fans direct questions via
the social media website. Users were able to ask their questions using the hashtag
#AskSamSmith and Smith answered them instantly. In addition, on September 18th Smith later
participated in a similar live chat through radio station Sirius XM. Rachel Brodsky of Sirius XM
(2014) relayed questions from Facebook fans and Smith answered the questions live through
Facebook chat. Finally, on August 11th, Smith appeared in a short video created by VEVO LIFT
(2014) titled New York Stories during his stay in New York City. VEVO LIFT is a division of
the Vevo video hosting service that features short interviews up and coming artists. The video
consisted of a brief interview about Smiths experience in New York City and his love for music.
These new media efforts are key examples of engagement and are effective tactics to
accomplishing PR goals and objectives. These tactics allow Smith to create a two-way
conversation with his fans and allow them to connect with him even further.
The only flaw I identified in the PR plan was the lack of acknowledgement regarding some
negative coverage in Nashville TN, while on the road. Jackie Willis (2014) reported that Smith
was caught on camera (via an Instagram video) drunkenly singing karaoke with his band just
hours after he tweeted, Nashville, sorry I can't come out to say hey tonight after the show!! Still
not feeling 100% and need to sleep!! So sorry xxxx. According to Willis, Smith failed to address
the situation after being caught on camera. I would have suggested to immediately address the

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situation via social media in an effort to salvage his credibility with his online fans. His decision
to not address the situation with either an apology or explanation could potentially tarnish the
strong reputation he has built on being genuine and engaging.
I would have also liked to have seen some of the bigger publicity efforts that I found doing my
research executed within the time frame of In the Lonely Hour Tours PR campaign. These
bigger PR efforts included a performance on Good Morning America, The Today show, and The
Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. However, Smith announced the extension of a new
international tour in 2015, which would cover North America among UK, Europe, Australia and
New Zealand during his American 2014 fall tour. These excellent PR efforts are now part of a
new publicity cycle for his 2015 international tour.
Smiths American In the Lonely Hour Tour generated a substantial amount of positive publicity
and commendable buzz that fulfilled the goals and objectives of the PR practitioners plan. Both
new media and traditional media tactics were cleverly used and executed at ideal times. The
publicity of the In the Lonely Hour Tour was a result how to correctly use two-way
communication and implement real-time communication through engagement.

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10

References
ACL Festival. (2014, August 25). 2014 Schedule. Retrieved from
http://www.aclfestival.com/2014-schedule-weekend-two/
Boros, M. (2014, August 25). Lightning Round with Sam Smith in the Red Bull Sound Space at
AMP. Retrieved from http://amp.cbslocal.com/show/sam-smith/video-10526338lightning-round-with-sam-smith-in-the-red-bull-sound-space-at-amp/
Boros, M. (2014, August 25). Sam Smith Red Bull Sound Space interview. Retrieved from
http://amp.cbslocal.com/show/sam-smith/
Greenberg, G. & McNearney, M. (Writer), & Fisher, A. (Director). (2014, August 4). Kim
Kardashian, Damon Wayans Jr., Jake Johnson and Music from Disclosure. [Television
series episode]. In P. Irwin, E. (Producer), Jimmy Kimmel Live. Hollywood, CA: ABC
Studios.
Hattenstone, S. (2014, August 15). Sam Smith: Im so scared for when its going to stop. The
Guardian. Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/aug/16/sam-smithinterview-scared-its-going-to-stop
Ignjatovic, J. (Producer). (2014, August 24). The MTV Video Music Awards [Television
broadcast]. Inglewood, CA: MTV.
R Brodsky. (2014, September 18). Sam Smith nearly sh*t himself when he met Beyonce, and
other things we learned from his Facebook chat. [web page]. Retrieved from
http://blog.siriusxm.com/2014/09/18/sam-smith-nearly-sht-himself-when-he-metbeyonce-and-other-things-we-learned-from-his-facebook-chat/

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Smith, S. F. [SamSmithWorld]. (2014, August 24). I love you @katyperry @mileycyrus

[Instagram Post]. Retrieved from http:/instagram.com/samsmithworld
Smith, S. F. [SamSmithWorld]. (2014, October 3). I genuinely cant get over this crowd today.
Austin, WOW [image]. Retrieved from http://instagram.com/p/ttnrL2x2b1/?modal=true
VEVO LIFT. (2014, August 11). Sam Smith: New York Stories. Retrieved from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2l9R-NL92hQ
Willis, J. (2014, October 9). Watch Sam Smith Sloppily Sing Beyonce's 'Flawless' After Tweeting
In Sick. Retrieved from
http://www.etonline.com/music/152277_sam_smith_covers_beyonce_at_karaoke/