Viral Video Could Be A Blessing For Astronomer

After the viral moment, all eyes this week have been on a once-little-known tech company called Astronomer.

While it's not been the kind of attention Astronomer would likely have hoped for, it's been said that all publicity is good publicity, and some public relations experts who spoke to Business Insider said the newfound fame could, ultimately, benefit the firm.

The video that catapulted the data company into the global spotlight took place at a Coldplay concert near Boston, when a "kiss cam" appeared to show then-Astronomer CEO Andy Byron embracing the company's head of human resources, Kristin Cabot.

After spotting themselves on the big screen, the clearly panicked pair attempted to dodge the camera, prompting Coldplay front man Chris Martin to speculate that they were "having an affair or they're just very shy."

The clip shot around the world and fueled a torrent of memes and internet sleuthing. Major brands like Netflix and even the Phillie Phanatic got in on the viral opportunity.

Ryan McCormick, cofounder of Goldman McCormick, a public relations firm in New York, described it as a possible "blessing in disguise."

"The real silver lining is that if this company is doing something truly innovative and they're doing something truly groundbreaking, the likelihood of someone finding them has increased substantially," McCormick told Business Insider.

"In the short term, they're embedded in controversy, but they're going to have people looking at them in a way they've never done before. I think that they'll probably come out OK."

In a statement last 18 July, Astronomer said its leaders were "expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability" and that it had launched a "formal investigation" into the incident. It added that Byron had been placed on leave. On Saturday, it said the exec had resigned.

McCormick said Byron's departure would create some distance between the viral drama and the company.

"I think they took the high road. They did what needed to be done, which was probably a hard decision," McCormick said. "If I were an investor or employee at that company, I would feel pretty confident."

The company also used its Saturday statement to draw attention to its work.

"Before this week, we were known as a pioneer in the DataOps space," it said. "While awareness of our company may have changed overnight, our product and our work for our customers have not."

Mike Fahey, the founder and CEO of Fahey Communications, told Business Insider that this showed the company was making "a concerted effort to redirect the narrative to where it is favorable."