From Papaya Rules to Pop Royalty
This week my Insta feed has been awash with orange - or should I say papaya?
Between the F1 drama around McLaren and Oscar Piastri, and Taylor Swift dropping her new “orange era” album, my feed has been filled with fanta-coloured content.
But even if you’re not a Swiftie or Drive To Survive fan, there are a few lessons to learn from this week’s memes.
So lights out and away we go…
When the papaya hits the fan…
If you’ve ever been discouraged by a few negative comments, just thank your lucky stars you’re not McLaren’s social media team right now.
A bit of background for the non-F1 fans:
McLaren (the orange but they insist it is papaya team) won the Constructors Championship at the Singapore GP on the weekend. This should be great news for the team and its fans, but the win has been overshadowed by accusations of unfair treatment.
McLaren currently has two strong drivers that lead the Driver’s Championship - British Lando Norris and Aussie Oscar Piastri.
While Lando is from the mother country, good looking and classical marketing gold, Oscar’s so laid-back he’s basically horizontal demeanour and exceptional driving have won him a legion of fans who are not happy about the team’s strategy (dubbed Papaya Rules).
Multiple times this season, Oscar has been asked to ease up or give Lando the lead in the name of fairness. But in the Singapore GP, Oscar was nearly pushed into the wall by his teammate, was absent for McLaren’s podium celebration, and he was clearly unhappy with McLaren.
For the past few weeks, Oscar fans have been quite vocal on social media, but after Singapore, they are openly calling for the Aussie driver to leave the team and encouraging others to boycott McLaren.
TLDR: Oscar Piastri fans are aggressively turning against his team on social media.
The good news for McLaren is they don’t have to worry about this tsunami of hate. No-one votes for them.
But if you’re on the receiving end of a tide of negativity - what do you do?
Don’t panic. A few angry comments isn’t necessarily a crisis. Take a breath and scan for recurring concerns or misunderstandings before you respond.
Stay visible and professional. Silence can look defensive. Respond calmly to key questions or gently correct misinformation, but don’t get drawn into arguments.
Pin key responses. If the same question or criticism keeps popping up, a pinned comment shows transparency and can defuse confusion faster than deleting posts or comments.
Pick your battles. Not every comment needs a response. Focus your energy on where you can genuinely influence perception.
Plan your next steps. Consider if you need to make changes to your messages, the timing or the type of content you are sharing.
Use moderation tools & set boundaries. Make sure you’re using the appropriate settings to automatically hide offensive comments. You should also have a policy in place about what is appropriate on your space, and stand by it when people break the rules.
Welcome to Taylor’s orange era
On the other end of the orange spectrum is Taylor Swift’s new album. And like every TayTay release before it, it isn’t just an album - it’s a recognisable, cohesive brand.
From visuals and fonts to video style and captions, she builds a world her audience immediately understands and remembers.
What she doesn’t do is use identical templates over and over again. Her branding is strong, but more subtle than classic political branding that voters scroll past.
Here’s what we can take from the Showgirl’s playbook for building a brand online:
Consistency is king. Use a consistent visual style, tone, and voice so your audience instantly recognises your content.
Tell a story across content. Each post should feel like part of a bigger narrative, whether it’s celebrating wins, sharing insights, or highlighting behind-the-scenes moments.
Reward your audience. Small details, callbacks, or “inside” references can make your most engaged followers feel included and more likely to stick around.
Own your aesthetic. Colour palettes, fonts, and framing matter, and they all contribute to the perception of your brand.
Whether you’re a politician or a pop star, a recognisable and deliberate personal brand helps your audience immediately spot your content, understand who you are and the bigger story you are sharing with them.
That’s it for now, but as always I’d love to hear from you. Send me your reels or something cool at @katewilson.au
Cheers,
Kate
