Australian, international businesses piggyback Coldplay kiss cam scandal with memes
Aussie and international brands have rushed to piggyback the Coldplay kiss-cam scandal, creating a flood of memes riffing off the viral moment - but can this sort of marketing backfire? Read what the experts say and take our poll
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Aussie businesses have rushed to piggyback the Coldplay kiss cam scandal, creating a flood of social media memes riffing off the viral moment - but this style of marketing can easily backfire, according to PR and marketing experts.
The video has been watched tens of millions of times and spawned copycat moments at sporting games and social feeds worldwide.
Sabri Suby, founder of digital marketing agency, King Kong and former judge on Shark Tank Australia said there was a brief window to take advantage of a cultural moment, where brands can ride the wave of mass attention without paying for it.
“Done right, it makes a brand feel plugged-in, human, and culturally fluent,” he said.
“But it’s a double-edged sword. Move too slow and you look out of touch; get the tone wrong and you risk trivialising something serious or alienating your audience.
“The key is speed, relevance, and staying on-brand. Jumping on the bandwagon just for reach can easily backfire if it feels opportunistic or tone-deaf.”
HR chief Kristin Cabot, and her company Astronomer’s now-former CEO Andy Byron became a hot topic after the pair – both married to other people – were seen looking cozy while attending a concert on Wednesday night.
Video taken at the show, which has since gone viral online, showed Byron with his arms wrapped around Kristin as they were caught on the concert’s “kiss cam” jumbotron.
Mr Byron’s wife removed his name from her now-deleted Facebook profile in the wake of the scandal, and it has also emerged Ms Cabot is also married to another man.
Phoebe Netto, PR expert and founder of Pure Public Relations, said the sentiment surrounding meme-able moments could shift quickly.
“The human impact of this situation is starting to be discussed, and this will see the tone change,” she said.
“A CEO has resigned, families and relationships are impacted, Astronomer staff now have unwanted attention and disruption, and the sadness that comes from affairs are coming to the fore, and brands need to quickly move on from the jovial memes to avoid a lag in what is considered appropriate.”
Bryden Campbell, founder at Brand Rebellion, said audiences were tuned in to authenticity.
“Chasing a quick win by inserting your brand into a scandal or trending topic that has no real connection? Audiences can smell that a mile away,” he said.
“It risks undermining brand credibility and leaves a lasting impression for all the wrong reasons.
“There’s also a fine line between being clever and being careless. Brands making jokes or poking fun at this situation should take a hard look at whether that tone truly reflects their values.
“Just because something’s viral doesn’t mean your brand needs to have a say.And once you enter the conversation, you may find yourself expected to keep having opinions. If the situation escalates, or a new one emerges, you’ve set a precedent. It creates an ongoing expectation that your brand will always be vocal, which may not serve you long-term.”
Many corporate social media teams were quick to latch onto the trend – here are the best of them.
Gritty Garms
This Gold Coast-based vintage clothing store broke out the AI tools for their humorous take on the scandal.
Nando’s
Offered a discount for “a little something on the side” for customers who entered the code “Coldplay” at the checkout.
Ikea
A post from the Swedish furniture brand’s Singapore branch spread its way across Australian feeds on the weekend, featuring two of its plush animals locked in a cozy embrace, set to a Coldplay’s Something Just Like This.
“Don’t get caught … without these! Drama-free cuddles guaranteed,” the post said.
Tesla
The Elon Musk-owned EV company weighed in on the scandal on Musk’s social platform X.
TV networks
Not to be outdone, presenters from Seven and Nine each gave slightly Dad-joke-flavoured versions of the meme.
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