It’s been fun to watch this Coldplay Kiss Cam scandal spiral. I feel bad for the significant others of the two Astronomer executives whose lives have been completely side swiped, but I’m marveling at all of the stories, how it broke, and how the memes continue to take things to new heights. We all communicate in meme culture now. That’s how to cut through the noise. If people can’t share about it, then people won’t care about it.
I have to hand it to Ryan Reynolds’ & team at Maximum Effort for their fastvertising (moving at the speed of culture!) as they again seized the moment and pulled Gwenth Paltrow into the joke over the weekend. The dash of celebrity – with the cultural context of that being Chris Martin’s ex – seized an already juicy story with eye-grabbing flames like Emeril Lagasse. Bam!
Astronomer was smart to capitalize on the attention and use this moment to tell their story and build their brand. We’ll see if it works. But who’s really laughing to the bank? Coldplay. The band hasn’t been this relevant since they made that Apple Commercial for “Viva La Vida” 17 years ago.
Their tour has become a cultural phenomenon and has everyone talking again. Their streams are also feeling a major bump, up 25% and even more in sales since the Kiss Cam incident that Chris Martin called out himself when he saw it.
Perhaps a more genuinely exciting story is unfolding for music lovers, though. Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks surprised fans with news of the reissue of their 1973 debut, “Buckingham Nicks,” half a century after its original release.
Fleetwood Mac has had a resurgence since the Doggface Cranberry drinking video blew up on TikTok. A whole new generation discovered the band’s music before the beautifully done Broadway show, Stereophonic, gave us a peek into the studio lore behind the making of their classic, “Rumours.”
The timing is great for Stevie Nicks, who has been capitalizing on the renewed energy of Fleetwood Mac for a while. Her dates with Billy Joel have been canceled but she’s moving to arenas on her own, a long awaited moment for many.
The reunion with Buckingham wasn’t with a press release, it was teased by social media chatter. In a deliberate move, the music is only available via physical release; no streaming, turning nostalgia into a cultural, collectible event, not just a playlist addition. This is a great reminder for fans that, in our world of instant everything, sometimes the stuff that really matters is what we have to wait for, talk about, and experience together. Fans old and new are lining up, swapping stories, and making this music part of their lives all over again.
Certainly an on stage cameo is in the works. Maybe this will lead to the creation of some new music (fingers crossed) or a hologram show of Fleetwood Mac then and now. They are one of the only living acts that could pull off what ABBA has with their hit hologram residency in the UK. It has been a technological marvel and monetization at its finest, as ABBA makes money playing shows while they are home in their PJs. It’s all on the table for FM, since the roll-out was so enticing, even the install of the new big fat billboard on Sunset has us looking.
This begs the question: what is marketing genius? As marketers, we love the shiny new playbooks but sometimes it comes down to timing, capturing moments, being impromptu, and acting fast. Sometimes, anticipation and community matter more than instant access. And what works always has: love stories, breakups, beefs…and rumors.
