Getting caught cheating is never good, but most couples don’t have their dirty laundry aired by Coldplay frontman Chris Martin in the middle of a concert.
The grainy kiss cam footage of a cuddly couple scrambling apart and ducking out of frame as Martin gently narrates the affair speculation has commanded so much organic media that any brand would be jealous. It was irresistible even before the pair were exposed as data firm Astronomer’s CEO Andy Byron and his head of HR, Kristin Cabot—who is not his wife.
The rest was as predictable as a forecast: TikToks cropped up within hours. Memes flooded X and Instagram. In a modern twist, someone even created a fake letter of apology that went almost as viral as the original video.
The thing is, none of this had to happen. And it contains a lesson for anyone—or any brand—that finds itself in an unflattering spotlight.
You make your own bad publicity
The world likely would’ve remained ignorant of Byron and Cabot’s alleged affair had they reacted differently to appearing on the Jumbotron. Instead of smiling, laughing it off, or giving a peck like a normal couple, they behaved as though there was something to hide.
This is a perfect reminder of how your reaction, not the original incident, ultimately drives public perception in the digital age.
In the brand world, there are few examples of a greater doomsday event than TikTok teens drinking Grimace shakes followed by horror-movie endings—endless videos of foaming at the mouth, twitching in parking lots, and walking into the ocean at night, viewed about 3 billion times over the summer of 2023.
McDonald’s, however, didn’t blink. There was not a single cease-and-desist letter or corporate PR statement. Instead, the company leaned in with a single viral tweet of Grimace acknowledging the trend. McDonald’s let the absurdity run its course, and in doing so turned a potentially damaging news moment into one that cemented its cultural relevance.
As the fast food chain’s then-U.S. social media lead Guillaume Huin wrote on LinkedIn, “saying nothing felt disconnected, encouraging it felt self-serving, so we just decided to show our fans that we see them and their creativity in a sweet, candid and genuine way.”