A majority of the online public have seen a now infamous video: A beautiful night at Gillette Stadium, a Coldplay concert, the camera spanning the crowd and a happy couple caught on camera. Then comes the shock on their faces and the reaction that has been watched around the world. By the next day, the video had been turned into memes, and internet sleuths quickly found the couple who were clearly not married to one another, with high-profile jobs at the same company.
While this is a unique situation, there are many issues at play here when it comes to a crisis, with key takeaways PR professionals can all learn from.
The Aftermath
It immediately became clear that this video was going to be shared not just in the Boston area, but across the country and worldwide. It had all the makings of a viral story: A CEO and human resources representative together, a scandal and a cringeworthy moment all caught on camera.
The public demanded to hear from the company, Astronomer, as well as its the CEO, Andy Byron, and Chief People Officer, Kristin Cabot. When no statement came the next day, that left room for a lot of speculation. It is an incredibly important reminder of why every organization needs a well-developed crisis plan in place, before something happens.
You may not expect your CEO and head of HR to be caught on a jumbotron seemingly having an affair, but that’s exactly what crisis is—expecting the unexpected. The absolute worst time to figure out a messaging strategy is when your organization is in the midst of a major situation like this one. Emotions run high. Imagine sitting in a boardroom, trying to figure out what to say in response to this. Even if you may not have prepared for this exact scenario, a team that has worked together on a messaging strategy and how to react in a crisis understands the critical need for a timely, accurate response.
In this case, outside agency support also would greatly help, given the high-profile nature of the people involved and their objective take from the outside.
When Seconds Count
Timing is everything, and when a video like this is shared, seconds count. Before the first official statement came out from Astronomer, a somewhat “real” statement from Byron made the rounds on social media far too widely before it was debunked, and well before the public heard anything from the direct source.
While there were a lot of issues at play here, including fact checking information and media literacy, the bottom line is that when a company does not speak out quickly during a crisis situation, the public will fill in the blanks; particularly when they have a video that is so meme-worthy. Having control of the message early on will help as you are able to share more, even if you do not have a lot to share in the moment. Being transparent about what you can disclose is key. In this case, Byron did resign, and Astronomer released a statement days later saying, “While awareness of our company may have changed overnight, our product and our work for our customers have not.”
Private Relationships, Public Risk
It may seem like an obvious statement here, but internal relationships always come with an external risk. And that goes beyond what the public witnessed in the video. Because when something this public happens, you need to be prepared for keen eyes on all aspects of business and personal lives. No one expects their company or brand to be suddenly tied to an incredibly viral video, and sometimes it can be out of your control. But what you can control is how you respond, quickly and accurately.