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After two Astronomer executives were caught on a 'kiss cam', sparking an internet scandal, the company cleverly responded by hiring Gwyneth Paltrow as a temporary spokesperson. The video went viral and shifted focus to their products.
At a Coldplay concert in Boston on July 16, something unexpected happened. The camera at Gillette Stadium zoomed in on two people: Andy Byron, the CEO of tech company Astronomer and Kristin Cabot, the company’s Chief People Officer. They were standing very close to each other and looked shocked when they appeared on the stadium's kiss cam.
Coldplay's singer Chris Martin noticed them on the big screen and joked, "Either they’re having an affair or they're just very shy." The crowd laughed, but the internet took that joke very seriously.
People quickly found out that both Andy and Kristin were married, but to other people. Andy is married to Megan Kerrigan and Kristin’s husband is Andrew Cabot, the owner of Privateer Rum. Within days, the video spread across TikTok, Instagram, Reddit, and even LinkedIn. People started calling the whole situation 'ColdplayGate'.
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Resignations follow the viral moment
After the video went viral, both Andy Byron and Kristin Cabot resigned from their top positions at Astronomer. The company, which builds DataOps tools to help manage and automate data, was suddenly at the center of an internet storm. It wasn't about their products, it was about their people.
This situation could have seriously damaged Astronomer's image. But instead of hiding, the company did something bold and surprisingly amusing.
Enter Gwyneth Paltrow, the surprise 'spokesperson'
On Friday, July 25, Astronomer posted a video on social media featuring none other than Gwyneth Paltrow, Hollywood actress, entrepreneur and ex-wife of Coldplay’s Chris Martin. She introduced herself in the video by saying, "I've been hired on a very temporary basis to speak on behalf of the 300-plus employees at Astronomer."
In the one-minute clip, Paltrow never directly mentioned the scandal. Instead, she jokingly answered questions about Astronomer’s data products and operations. When a screen asked, “How is your social media team holding?” viewers thought she might address the incident. But instead, she promoted Astronomer’s upcoming “Beyond Analytics” conference and said there were still spots available.
She ended the video by saying, "We will now be returning to what we do best: Delivering game-changing results to our customers."
Internet praises the bold PR move
People across the internet loved the humour and creativity in Astronomer’s video. Many praised the company for turning a negative situation into a smart, light-hearted marketing moment.
One person commented, “This is how to have a winning PR strategy: Hiring Coldplay’s lead singer’s ex-wife for a marketing video. Well played, @astronomerio
Another wrote, “I want to know what prompt you used on what system to come up with this PR response, because chef’s kiss."
What this means for Astronomer
While the scandal involving Andy and Kristin could have badly hurt Astronomer, the company's smart and funny response helped shift the conversation. Instead of gossip, people are now talking about how well Astronomer handled the crisis.
With their upcoming conference and strong interest in data automation, Astronomer may have just turned an awkward moment into a major branding win.