In the wake of a Jumbotron capturing Astronomer CEO Andy Byron in a compromising moment with the company human resources head Kristin Cabot at a Coldplay concert earlier this week, TikTok-renowned reputation and crisis strategist Molly McPherson offered her insights on the ensuing PR debacle, while accurately predicting Byron's resignation.
In a now-viral social media clip, the musical pair could be seen on the concert's "kiss cam" covering their faces and ducking behind stadium seats.
Coldplay lead singer Chris Martin called out the awkward response in front of the crowd, joking the two were either "having an affair" or "just very shy."
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McPherson, who built a TikTok following of nearly 600,000 users by hypothesizing about celebrity PR responses to similar media woes, weighed in on the fiasco, and Astronomer's initial response to the situation.
Days after the incident, the company released a statement reinforcing its values and announcing it had launched a "formal investigation."
"Astronomer finally comes out with their statement," McPherson said in a TikTok video posted Friday. "If I were running crisis management on the inside here, I would not have released a statement. … I would not have done that, and here's the reason why: Even though Chris Martin exposed the CEO and the chief people officer, it was still a private matter."
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She added there was "nothing special" about the statement, which shared vague details about the company's focus on "accountability."
"By waiting so long, it creates this vacuum, of course, and that's why everything went viral," McPherson said. "There was so much collateral damage by that point, not to mention all [of the] employees [and] investors. … But also, don't forget, the CEO is in charge. There's a power hierarchy."
Noting stories are more likely to go viral in July and August, McPherson said the incident happened at the "worst time of year."
"You cannot control the public, and you cannot control memes — which, by the way, meme culture [is] peak humor. This was good," she said. "Not only did the story go viral, not only was it video, not only was it Coldplay, but [there was] also the fake CEO statement, which a lot of PR types out there definitely knew was fake. A lot of journalists knew it as well."
Hours after the video reached the internet, a fake apology statement, which claimed to be issued by Byron, was posted online.
The statement, which Astronomer confirmed was not authentic, ended with song lyrics from Coldplay's "Fix You," "Lights will guide you home, and ignite your bones, and I will try to fix you."
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McPherson said there were clear "winners and losers" in the spectacle, noting the company would likely come out unscathed.
"[The] winners [were] Chris Martin and Astronomer … and also, eventually an ex-wife," she said. "[The] loser [was] Andy Byron. He'll be out by the end of next week, definitely. From a corporate reputation [perspective] … it's all fine."
One day after McPherson shared her thoughts, Byron tendered his resignation and the board of directors accepted.