Columnist

Crisis comms lessons from the Astronomer Scandal

Caught on camera at a Coldplay gig. Trending on Insta before the encore. Resigned before the merch stand closed.

No, that’s not the plot of a Netflix special, it’s the real-world PR crisis that hit US tech company Astronomer, after its chief executive Andy Byron was filmed on the kiss cam in a now-viral moment... with someone who wasn’t his wife, but his chief people officer. 

By Monday? Some of their clients and team have resigned and the office lovebirds are both out of the business.

If that sounds fast, it's because it was.

Welcome to the meme-speed crisis era.

We’re no strangers to drama and crisis PR in the tech world, but let’s be honest it’s usually cyber-attacks and data breaches. This one ticked every box for online wildfire.

• Big-name execs
• Questionable judgment
• Public spectacle
• Romantic scandal
• Set to the emotional soundtrack of Fix You

But beyond the headlines and jokes (yes, we’ve seen the AI audience dives and the memes), this situation is a textbook case study for why scenario based, real-time crisis comms planning is absolutely essential in 2025.

1. Viral doesn’t wait for you to get your strategy in order

The footage hit social media and spread like crazy, before Astronomer had a chance to blink or respond.

Within hours, AI-generated content had filled the void: fake quotes, fake footage, fake internal emails and Teams chats and even made-up resignations.

If you’re not the first to tell your story, the internet will tell it for you.

That’s why crisis planning needs to include:

• Scenario planning and crisis escalation levels
• Plans to monitor the conversation online
• Pre-approved internal comms for crisis
• Clear external and internal comms and channel plans
• Responsibilities - who hits send, to who and when (especially if it’s not going to be the CEO or head of people!)
• How will you face scandal head on?

Now we’re not suggesting everyone needs to start planning for a CEO kiss cam crisis, but have you planned for how you’ll respond to any crisis situation or if an individual goes rogue? How do you maintain trust when something threatens to destroy it?

2. AI is now your crisis accelerator

Within hours of the Coldplay kiss-cam moment, we saw:

• Fake AI-generated press releases from Astronomer
• “Screenshots” of fake HR emails
• Deepfake apology videos
• Generative memes showing Andy Byron in Coldplay’s next album artwork

This is your new reality. AI doesn’t just react, it creates. That means your comms strategy should also consider:

• AI monitoring tools
• Rapid comms that separate the real from the fake
• Digital hygiene across employee and brand accounts
   

3. Internal and external comms must be married (unlike…)

Here’s the big thing, this wasn’t just a CEO scandal, it involved the chief people officer. The person responsible for culture, HR, and internal trust.

The optics were bad. The internal fallout? Probably worse.

In a case like this, internal comms matters:

• Internal teams need immediate clarity. Staff should not be learning key updates from TikTok and Instagram comments.
• Tone matters. Don’t get corporate when people are emotional. Be human, be clear, be real.
• There must be zero time between what’s being said inside and outside the business. No mixed messages. No leaks. No “wait, is this real?” confusion.

 4. You don’t need to be famous to go viral, comms need to be ready before the kiss

Astronomer isn’t a household name, until now. One viral moment and they were front page news around the entire world. Crisis comms isn’t just for celebrities and huge companies. It’s for every brand, every team, every HR department.

If your leaders are public facing, even at an industry level, you need to be prepared. So, if you are waiting until something breaks to figure out your response, you are already too late. 

Crisis comms isn’t about spin. It’s about trust, speed, and consistency.

So, here’s your Coldplay concert checklist:

1. Do we have an escalation plan for different scenarios?
2. Do we have a crisis comms playbook to help us react fast with consistency?
3. Are internal and external teams aligned and trained in crisis and media?
4. Are we prepared to counter AI-generated and other misinformation?
5. Are our leaders media-ready, on stage and off?
6. Do we have the right channels and plans for exceptional internal comms?

Because one awkward moment under the stadium lights can go global, and your brand needs to speak louder than the memes.

Kirsty Ostell is managing director of Newcastle-based O.agency

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