Paltrow, PR, perception: Astronomer's crisis hits B-school syllabus

Little did Astronomer, the Boston-based digital solutions provider and cloud data platform, know that the way it handled the global backlash following its top CXOs being caught in a compromising position in public would eventually be taught in classrooms at some of the top business schools in India.

- Devina Sengupta

The company's attempt to change the narrative by bringing in actor and lifestyle brand founder Gwyneth Paltrow as a "temporary spokesperson" is poised to become a discussion point in academic circles.

Management students will debate whether wry humor (since Paltrow is the ex-wife of Chris Martin, lead singer of the band Coldplay, during whose concert the couple was caught on camera) will be enough.

They will question whether this step was a "clever or wise" form of crisis management, and whether shareholders and consumers are truly swayed by star power.

"I can envisage this becoming a massive case study in the coming days. The case illustrates the power of humor, irony, and sarcasm as tools to convey a strong message effectively, especially when facing negative PR," said Viswanath Pingali, who teaches economics at Indian Institute of Management (IIM) at Ahmedabad.

Pingali's research interests include digital markets and healthcare.