Data infrastructure company Astronomer has enlisted actress Gwyneth Paltrow as a temporary spokesperson in a humorous response to a viral incident that led to the resignation of two of its top executives.
The move follows an event where former CEO Andy Byron and former human resources chief Kristin Cabot were filmed cuddling on the “kiss cam” during a Coldplay concert. The footage, which showed the pair reacting uncomfortably as lead singer Chris Martin joked from the stage, spread rapidly online and resulted in their resignations.
In a video posted to social media, Paltrow—the ex-wife of Coldplay’s Chris Martin—introduces herself as a temporary spokesperson hired to address recent public interest. The tongue-in-cheek ad shows her comically sidestepping questions about the incident, instead pivoting to the company’s core business of data workflow automation.
“I’ve been hired on a very temporary basis to speak on behalf of the 300+ employees at Astronomer,” Paltrow states in the clip. “Astronomer has gotten a lot of questions over the last few days, and they wanted me to answer the most common ones.”
Public relations and crisis consultant Mark Borkowski praised the strategy as “utter genius,” noting it demonstrates the company has a sense of humor. “It’s a savvy use of media to create a viral moment,” Borkowski said. He added that by embracing the situation, Astronomer effectively controls the narrative. “Astronomer is a meme now. Owning the ridiculous nature of how it became a meme is far better than apologizing for it.”
The marketing tactic is reminiscent of a 2019 campaign where an actress from a widely parodied Peloton commercial later appeared in an ad for Aviation Gin, poking fun at her viral fame.
Paltrow concludes the Astronomer video on a similar note of moving forward: “We will now be returning to what we do best: delivering game-changing results for our customers. Thank you for your interest in Astronomer.”
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