Three meditations: something to think about, a “how-to” resource, and a marketing deep dive. Ommmmmm.
Something to Think About
“How-To”
The How-To in this edition is a little bit of an ad.
Are you thinking of starting a podcast?
I run into lots of people who’ve seen the power of podcasts and heard marketers tell them they need to start one. My suggestion?
Try starting with a lower-commitment version first.
A webinar.
It’s a great litmus test for your content, audience interest, and internal workload.
What you’ll need:
- Compelling Content ( a guest speaker is usually a good idea)
- Hosting Capabilities – We recommend Zoom Webinar (paid), but a standard Zoom Meeting works just fine if you’re looking for a free option
- A way to reach your audience
If you see consistent growth and the content ideas keep coming over the months, that’s a good indicator your audience would respond positively to a podcast—and that your team has the internal capacity to keep up with the pace. For faster results and less hassle, CMO Zen’s fractional execution team can help you plan, promote, and run your first webinars with confidence.
A Marketing Deep Dive
From Scandal to Spotlight: A Masterclass in PR
Marketing in a crisis has been on full display this past month.
It’s a fascinating time to watch marketers tasked with molding public opinion in the wake of controversy.
We had Astronomer’s HR malfunction, Tea’s data breach, and, of course, backlash against American Eagle Outfitters Inc. for their ad campaign featuring Sydney Sweeney.
There’s been a lot said about these already.
Here’s what may have been missed so far.
Gwyneth to the Rescue
When a Coldplay concert Kiss-Cam captured two senior executives from data orchestration company Astronomer in a romantic moment, the fallout was swift. The clip exploded across social media. Within 48 hours, both executives resigned amid accusations of poor judgment and power imbalance.
Then came the pivot.
Just four days later, Astronomer released a 60-second video ad—produced by Ryan Reynolds’ Maximum Effort agency, which was brilliantly fronted by Gwyneth Paltrow (yes, Chris Martin’s ex). She opens with a line that resets the frame:
“I’ve been temporarily hired to speak on behalf of Astronomer’s 300+ employees.”
She never mentions the scandal. Instead, she answers clever, ambiguous questions that all lead—humorously but firmly—back to Astronomer’s actual work: Apache Airflow, data pipelines, and their Beyond Analytics conference.
Result?
36 million views on X.
Half a million on YouTube.
And a total reframing of the brand’s narrative—without ever naming the crisis.
Credit to Jessica Nuremberg at Maximum Effort for threading a high-wire act with clarity, restraint, and strategy. This wasn’t damage control—it was narrative mastery.
Why Astronomer’s Strategy Worked
Humor That Earns Trust
The tone was dry, not flippant. Light, not dismissive. They didn’t joke about the incident—they made the moment about the product.
The Team, Not the Execs
From the very first line, the focus was on the 300+ people at Astronomer still doing the work. It was empathy without self-flagellation.
Speed as Strategy
They moved fast, striking while the meme was still climbing. That urgency didn’t look reactive—it looked intentional.
And Psych Ju Jitsu Based on Priming
There’s this odd couple connection that’s mostly unconscious. Paltrow and Chris Martin are a former couple. Astronomer’s CEO is about to be an ex-husband. But these aren’t obvious or logical equivalences. AI would likely miss them altogether because they work for humans via something called priming.
Priming is the activation of areas of our brain that are tangentially related to other things. We think of an apple, and we think of computers, fruit, etc., and a host of other thinly related concepts get primed. We will be open to making associations that we otherwise wouldn’t.
That’s one of the geniuses at work in the Astronomer response.
The Tea App: A Case Study in How NOT to Do It
Around the same time, women’s dating app Tea suffered a serious breach. Over 72,000 selfies and government IDs, 1.1 million messages, and hundreds of thousands of location-linked details were leaked online.
Tea’s public response? A clinical, detached, jargon-heavy statement on their website.
The problem wasn’t what they said—it was how they said it.
“We have no evidence to suggest that photos can be linked to specific users.”
Um… really?
If I wanted you to link something like my driver’s license to my person, what media might be most effective?
They issued no apology. Offered no vulnerability. And took no real responsibility. Instead, they emphasized audits, best practices, and external vendors.
In short, they focused on their own defense, not their users’ fear. No clear action. No comfort. Just corporate insulation.
And they missed the most important marketing truth CEOs need to know:
A customer’s worst moment is your best chance to win them for life!
People remember how you treat them when they’re vulnerable. Ignore that, and you lose not just users, but trust and momentum.
American Eagle: When Doubling Down Works
American Eagle faced a lot of backlash over its “Got Great Jeans” campaign featuring Sydney Sweeney.
Critics online connected the phrase to eugenics-era slogans.
AE’s response?
They didn’t pull the campaign. They didn’t apologize.
They watched the market.
Within days, American Eagle’s market cap jumped by $200 million.
This was a welcome boost after their parent company showed an $80+ million loss in the previous quarter.
Their core audience—largely Gen Z—didn’t flinch. They didn’t engage with the historical framing. AE understood that the actual customer response—not online outrage—was what mattered most.
It’s not a strategy for every brand. But it’s proof that the right move isn’t always the safest one.
Sometimes, the bravest path is staying the course when your audience already trusts you.
Crisis Isn’t the End. It’s a Reveal.
Three brands. Three crises. Three very different outcomes:
- Astronomer turned controversy into cleverness—with clarity and speed.
- Tea buried their humanity under process—and lost the moment.
- American Eagle trusted their audience—and came out stronger.
The takeaway for CEOs?
Marketing leadership isn’t about ad volume. It’s about narrative clarity in high-stakes moments.
When pressure hits, your response reveals what your brand actually stands for—and whether your audience believes you.
Final Thought from CMO Zen
It’s worth a moment to reflect on what went well and what didn’t for these brands in their moment of crisis.
Find lessons and prepare so you aren’t caught off guard should something similar occur in your company.
Preparation is the antidote for fear.
Namaste,
Chad Jardine, CEO, CMO Zen
P.S. Under pressure to deliver a marketing plan? The 2-Day Marketing MBA is your blueprint for a rock-solid marketing plan in under 2 days.
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