Remember that viral video showing Astronomer’s CEO and HR head embracing at a Coldplay concert? Well, both leaders resigned shortly after. Suddenly, everyone was talking about this data company!
But here’s where things get interesting: The Astronomer didn’t hide. Instead, they leaned into the chaos with pure wit. They recruited Gwyneth Paltrow – Chris Martin’s ex-wife, no less – as their “temporary spokesperson.” Talk about perfect casting!
In their brilliant 60-second video (posted on X), Paltrow tackles everyone’s burning questions head-on. First up? That unavoidable caption screaming: “OMG! What the actual f?!”
Without missing a beat, Paltrow flashes her signature smile and pivots: “Yes, Astronomer is actually the best place to run Apache Airflow.” She even jokes about their surprise perk: “Turns out the whole world suddenly cares about data workflow automation!”
Next, someone asks how their social media team is holding up. Paltrow smoothly transitions: “Funny you ask… we’ve still got seats for our upcoming conference!” Pure comedic gold.
Wrapping up the clip (now boasting 27 million views!), she thanks the curious crowds. “We’re grateful for your interest,” Paltrow says warmly, “but now we’re getting back to what we do best.”
Jordan Greenaway, CEO of PR firm Profile, calls the video “really clever.
He notes its widespread recognition immediately. Furthermore, everyone knows the scandal and has seen the video.
However, public awareness focused only on the CEO. Greenaway illustrates this point: ask someone about Astronomer’s CEO, and they’d likely say, “the guy in the Coldplay video.” But then, ask what Astronomer actually does or sells.
Consequently, people would probably just say, “they’re kind of a tech company.” This response shows limited brand understanding. The viral fame created name recognition, yet it lacked substance.
Importantly, Greenaway believes the scandal won’t seriously harm Astronomer long-term. Why? Because it doesn’t directly attack their product’s core quality. Therefore, the business fundamentals stay strong.
The company clearly aimed for mass brand awareness. They specifically wanted to move beyond being solely “the affair CEO’s company.” Their goal was broader public recognition.
Greenaway acknowledges some PR professionals instinctively use humor during scandals. They try bridging the crisis and overcoming the negative hump this way. He observes this as a common default tactic.
Nevertheless, Greenaway states a crucial fact: “In most cases that doesn’t work.” Humor often fails as a reliable crisis solution. His insight highlights the Astronomer approach’s perceived cleverness.
Ultimately, the strategy shifted focus towards the brand itself. While risky, it potentially created valuable public awareness where little existed before.
Astronomer faces this CEO scandal head-on.
Experts note this direct approach often works best. After all, some crises simply become too big to ignore. Consequently, embracing them can be smart PR.
Therefore, the Astronomer actively chose engagement over avoidance. Greenaway, a crisis expert, strongly supports this strategy. He compares it to a major past event: Europe’s 2013 horsemeat scandal. There, mislabeled beef products shocked consumers.
In that food scandal, humor would have backfired badly. For instance, pretending to be a horse seemed totally inappropriate. Greenaway stresses this point clearly. Such a joke would have deeply offended customers.
Why? Because the scandal attacked core product quality. Customers would rightly feel mocked. Making light of such a serious failure always damages trust. Furthermore, it signals a lack of genuine remorse.
However, Astronomer’s situation differs significantly. Their scandal involves leadership, not the actual data product. This key distinction grants them crucial flexibility. Consequently, they can carefully use relevant, light-hearted elements.
Their humor targets the resigned CEO specifically. Importantly, they never mock their service’s quality or reliability. This careful focus makes the humorous response acceptable. Ultimately, the strategy aligns well with the scandal’s unique nature.
Astronomer might survive its CEO scandal relatively unscathed, according to Greenaway.
An astronomer might survive its CEO scandal relatively unscathed, according to Greenaway. However, Andy Byron faces a much tougher situation. Greenaway clearly states, “He and his reputation are a different matter entirely.”
Greenaway strongly believes Byron couldn’t ethically downplay the incident. Specifically, Byron directly engaged in the misconduct. Therefore, making light of it would have been deeply unfair and unethical.
The scandal erupted publicly on July 16th. Notably, Byron was the Astronomer’s CEO at the time. Furthermore, cameras caught him and Kristin Cabot on the Gillette Stadium screen in Massachusetts.
Greenaway generally supports Astronomer’s overall crisis strategy. In fact, he likely would have chosen similar core tactics. Crucially, though, he emphasizes one key difference.
Greenaway states firmly, “I would have fired the CEO much sooner.” Additionally, he wanted clearer action. Specifically, he aimed to show that such leadership failures were completely unacceptable at Astronomer.
Despite this, Greenaway sees value in Astronomer’s main PR goal. Effectively, they shifted focus back to the company’s work. Consequently, he views this specific approach as reasonably sound.
Greenaway honestly admits uncertainty about his own courage. Would he have chosen Astronomer’s exact path? Nevertheless, he expresses hope that he would possess similar boldness.
Ultimately, Greenaway acknowledges the difficulty Astronomer faced. Their strategy required significant nerve. Yet, refocusing attention on their mission proved a potentially effective move.
Interest in Astronomer skyrocketed after its former CEO’s viral video.
Consequently, unverified reports suggest website visits surged up to 15,000%. Astronomer markets itself as “the best place to run Apache Airflow,” although it didn’t create the product.
Founded in 2018, the company helps businesses leverage Artificial Intelligence (AI). Furthermore, Astronomer provides specialized services for companies needing AI solutions. The Wall Street Journal confirms they’ve worked with giants like Apple, Ford, and Uber.
Following the scandal, co-founder Pete DeJoy became interim CEO. DeJoy also serves as Chief Product Officer. Despite the turmoil, he recognizes a potential upside to the intense focus.
On LinkedIn, DeJoy called the spotlight “unusual and surreal.” He stated, “I would never have wished for it to happen like this.” However, he noted Astronomer is now “a household name.”
Previously, the company only addressed the issue on X (Twitter). They posted this statement two days after the Coldplay concert. Significantly, Astronomer emphasized its commitment to founding values and culture.
The company expects leaders to set high standards.
Therefore, Astronomer announced a formal investigation into the incident. They stressed the importance of “conduct and accountability.”
Meanwhile, Coldplay’s Chris Martin saw the viral moment live. From stage, he observed Byron and Cabot hiding. Martin quipped, “Either they’re having an affair, or they’re just very shy.”
You might wonder about the PR impact on Chris Martin’s band. However, Greenaway suggests it’s neutral overall. He believes the public primarily focuses only on the “Kiss Cam video.”
Greenaway explained, “I don’t think it increases awareness of them…” He feels the viral moment “drowns out all the other stuff.” Essentially, Coldplay remains separate from the scandal narrative.
