Vol. 91 Astronomer: Post-Coldplay concert 🫣

Leaning into the moment

For brands, going viral can be a blessing, a curse, or a bit of both. Sure, many brands aim to go viral but it doesn’t always happen on a brand’s own terms—and it can quickly spiral out of control. 

The main difference between a PR headache and a marketing win? It usually comes down to how the brand chooses to respond, whether it’s with resistance, silence, or embrace. And we recently saw Astronomer choose the latter. 

This week, Case Studied explores how Astronomer went viral (again) with a response video to Coldplaygate. 

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The Brief:

Astronomer is a data operations company. Its flagship product, Astro, is a managed service platform powered by Apache Airflow. While not the sexiest product, Astronomer reached unicorn status in 2022 and was valued at around $1.5 billion this year.

But despite its business success, Astronomer wasn’t a household name until recently. Everything changed during a Coldplay concert in Massachusetts when the CEO Andy Byron and HR chief Kristin Cabot were featured on the stadium’s kiss‑cam in an embrace. But unlike other couples featured on camera, Byron ducked down to hide and Cabot covered her face. 

@instaagraace

trouble in paradise?? 👀 #coldplay #boston #coldplayconcert #kisscam #fyp

Their startled reaction went viral, racking up tens of millions of views across TikTok and social media. Coldplay’s lead singer Chris Martin said at the show, “Either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy.” 

It was quickly confirmed that the two Astronomer executives were, indeed, having an affair. The incident, known as Coldplaygate, sparked resignation from both executives amid internal scrutiny. 

Suddenly, this niche tech firm became a cultural sensation for reasons that had nothing to do with their product or even the business. Some unverified reports suggested a 15,000% spike in visits to the company’s website traffic. But instead of waiting for the PR storm to pass, Astronomer set out to reclaim the conversation in a cheeky way.

The Execution:

Astronomer partnered with Maximum Effort—aka Ryan Reynolds’ ad agency—to produce a tongue-in-cheek ad featuring Gwyneth Paltrow as a “very temporary spokesperson.”

The one-minute video opens with Paltrow (who was previously married to Martin) announcing she was hired to speak on behalf of Astronomer’s 300+ employees. She says, “Astronomer has gotten a lot of questions over the last few days and they wanted me to answer the most common ones.” 

The screen cuts to questions being typed out like "OMG, what the actual f-" and responds with dry, business-focused lines like “Yes, Astronomer is the best place to run Apache Airflow.” The questions acknowledge the scandal while Paltrow’s answers cheekily promote the company’s services.

The video spot blended self-aware humor with PR finesse. Maximum Effort confirmed its involvement via a cheeky X post, joking it would “leave data workflow automation to Gwyneth Pa Astronomer.”

Meanwhile, Astronomer’s interim CEO Pete DeJoy publicly thanked the agency (as well as his employees) in a LinkedIn post. “As Gwyneth Paltrow said, now it's time for us to return to what we do best: delivering game-changing results for our customers. We look forward to what this next chapter holds for Astronomer.”

The Results:

The video gained enormous traction, racking up over 36 million views and 149,000 likes.

PR experts lauded it as a textbook crisis strategy—cleverly acknowledging the moment while redirecting attention to the brand’s core message with a bit of humor.

The Takeaways

1. Recognize when to lean in. 

Astronomer became a household name for reasons that had nothing to do with their product. But they mindfully embraced their moment in the spotlight rather than fighting against it or staying silent while the narrative ran wild. In doing so, they redirected negative attention into cultural relevance. 

When things go a bit awry, how do you decide whether to embrace the moment or let the storm pass? Consider building some structure around how to evaluate the situation so that surprise moments aren’t so scary if/when they happen.

2. Be savvy with your spokespeople decisions.

Gwyneth Paltrow’s cameo had a built-in subtext because of her history with Coldplay’s Chris Martin. That backstory added an unspoken wink to the campaign, making the casting decision smarter and more layered than a simple star endorsement. 

When choosing talent, look for people whose personal narratives can subtly echo or amplify the story your brand is trying to tell. An inside-joke-style nod that resonates with your audience can offer a unique way to surprise and delight them.

3. Fast, culture-conscious PR is a must.

Maximum Effort’s rapid response helped change the tune of Astronomer’s viral moment. Acting quickly and cleverly allowed the company to have a hand in shaping the conversation during a very high-stakes moment. 

Establish creative partnerships that allow you to act quickly in unexpected situations. Who can you turn to when time sensitive issues come up? Or when you need PR expertise? If you don’t already support systems around you, consider getting them established for peace of mind and assurance.

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