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- The Crisis Comms Checklist - Coldplay Edition 🪩🌈
The Crisis Comms Checklist - Coldplay Edition 🪩🌈
Ash + Lizzy
July 19, 2025
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This week at a Coldplay concert in Boston, a moment meant to celebrate love turned into a corporate PR wildfire. During the kiss-cam, Astronomer CEO Andy Byron and Chief People Officer Kristin Cabot were caught in an intimate embrace - then visibly panicked when they realized they were live on the Jumbotron. Chris Martin even joked, “Either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy.”
Then the internet did what it does best. The clip went viral, speculation exploded, and within hours, Byron’s wife had scrubbed his name from social media. Astronomer placed both executives on leave. An internal investigation was launched. But not before the narrative completely left the company’s hands.
🧯 The Crisis Comms Checklist
Here’s how to handle a personal moment gone very, very public - before it derails your company.
1. Inform legal - immediately.
This is no longer just a PR issue. When executive behavior intersects with employment law, ethics policies, or public trust, your legal team needs to be first in the loop.
2. Scrub social.
Every open comment thread is a ticking time bomb. Lock down or delete personal social media accounts before screenshots go further viral. It’s not about hiding - it’s about containing.
3. Acknowledge without oversharing.
Silence creates chaos. A simple holding statement buys time and shows leadership is aware, engaged, and taking it seriously.
4. Separate personal from professional.
Inappropriate or not, a romantic moment between a CEO and their CPO has immediate implications for power dynamics, employee perception, and HR integrity. Address it as a workplace issue.
5. Set the internal narrative.
Your team will hear about it before your statement drops. Get ahead of the Slack spiral. Share the facts, next steps, and company values - clearly and calmly.
6. Monitor the fallout.
This isn’t just about Twitter virality. Track employee sentiment, customer reaction, and stakeholder concern in real time. Adjust your messaging accordingly.
7. Close the loop.
Once the investigation ends, communicate the outcome (in this case, both executives were put on leave). Transparency doesn’t mean sharing every detail - it means signaling accountability and forward motion.
The Bottom Line
In the era of kiss-cams, camera phones, and career-ending virality, crisis comms can’t be reactive. You need protocols before the internet decides your story for you.
Because if your CEO ends up trending on TikTok, the real crisis isn’t JUST the kiss - it’s what happens next.
📱 New in non-traditional media
Tracking the newsletters, podcasts, and creators reshaping media influence.
📰 In the news
🛡️ Meta pushes back on EU AI Code
Meta has refused to sign the EU’s voluntary AI Code of Practice, calling it regulatory overreach that could hinder innovation. The move sets up a clash with EU policymakers ahead of the AI Act’s enforcement in August.📺 YouTube cracks down on “AI slop” content
A new policy update is targeting repetitive or AI-generated content. Creators are concerned, but marketers applaud the move for promoting originality and trust.🎙️ PR pros targeted by AI-powered phishing scams
Impostor journalists are using generative AI to launch more convincing phishing attacks - up 17% since last fall. Comms teams are responding with stricter vetting protocols.🌐 Social video & podcasts now outrank traditional news
A new report shows 34% of U.S. adults now get their primary news from social or video platforms—up dramatically in the past decade, reshaping how influence is built and spread.
🎤 Spotlight on Business Creators
The latest and greatest of the executive-focused newsletters you should be reading.
Curated by: CJ Gustafson
Focus: SaaS metrics, startup finance, and behind-the-scenes strategy from a CFO-turned-operator.
Why Subscribe: CJ makes finance relatable—think LTV:CAC, burn multiple, and sales efficiency told with memes, charts, and context. Perfect for founders and comms folks who need to turn financials into storytelling fuel.
📧 The Diff
Curated by: Byrne Hobart
Focus: Deep analysis of business strategy, finance, and tech from a macro operator lens.
Why Subscribe: It’s where execs go to understand why markets move—not just how. Think M&A breakdowns, SaaS strategy shifts, and thought experiments on business models. Great for senior leaders sharpening their strategic edge.
Curated by: Douglas Levin
Focus: Real-world stories and leadership insights from a serial-entrepreneur and startup CEO.
Why Subscribe: Doug distills decades of startup journeys—from founding and scaling to exits and boardroom lessons. Ideal for executive teams who want grounded, experience-based perspective.
⭐️ Favorite story of the week:
“The River House Broke. We Rushed Into The River” - Texas Monthly
Get your tissue boxes ready. This is the most devastating - and deeply human - story we’ve read in a long time. When flash floods ripped through the Texas Hill Country on the Fourth of July, one family’s river house was swept away with them inside. This first-hand account is harrowing, heartbreaking, and impossible to forget. It’s a story about terror, survival, and the unthinkable choices a parent has to make in a moment of chaos. But more than anything, it’s about love and the quiet courage that carries us through the worst thing imaginable. If you read one thing this week, make it this.
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