How Octopus Energy became the UK’s most trusted utility brand

Energy has become one of the most consistently scrutinised sectors in the UK. For households, it’s where wider economic pressure often shows up first: in bills, in usage habits, and in conversations about cost of living. For companies, that means they’re rarely just dealing with service delivery, they’re operating in a space where public sentiment can shift quickly and attention spikes when something goes wrong.

Energy providers are often in the spotlight for disruption or pricing pressure, rather than for the role they play in longer-term energy transition or customer support. In that kind of environment, reputation is often shaped less by long-term strategy and more by how quickly and well a company reacts.

Octopus Energy’s positive perception

Our recent analysis found that one brand in particular, Octopus Energy, has managed to shift that pattern. YouGov found it’s become one of the UK’s most positively perceived utility brands, not by staying out of the spotlight, but by showing up in a different way when it matters.

Trust in the energy sector has been fragile for a long time, shaped by price swings, regulatory pressure and ongoing criticism around service. Because of that, energy companies are often remembered for moments when things go wrong, rather than for steady, positive engagement over time.

What stands out in Octopus Energy’s journey is how it’s managed to stay visible in a space where visibility is usually driven by crisis. 

Instead of only appearing in the conversation when something breaks, it stays present in discussions around affordability, energy use and the shift to lower-carbon heating. CEO Greg Jackson's appearances on consumer media, including the Martin Lewis Money Show on ITV and BBC’s Big Boss Interview podcast, are a good example of this in practice. 

Rather than reserving CEO visibility for investor briefings or trade press, Octopus uses it to enter conversations happening at the kitchen table. That consistency has helped move its reputation away from reactive headlines and towards more practical, solution-led associations: smart tariffs, heat pump adoption and EV charging. In each case, innovation is linked back to real customer outcomes rather than treated as a standalone announcement, which makes it feel tangible rather than corporate.

A consumer-first approach

One of the clearest differences we see in the analysis is how messaging is being used. A lot of legacy providers still operate in a reactive cycle, responding to issues and sentiment as they emerge. Octopus Energy, on the other hand, has taken a more consumer-first approach.

Rather than focusing mainly on corporate updates or crisis response, it talks more often about the everyday realities people are dealing with, like managing bills, understanding tariffs, and making sense of changing energy use. That matters because it shifts the role of an energy provider from something quite distant and transactional to something more useful and present in daily life, which is where trust starts to build.

We also see how product and service innovation is feeding directly into reputation. Things like smart tariffs, electrification and heat pumps aren’t just technical upgrades anymore; they’re part of mainstream conversation. In Octopus Energy’s case, those topics are consistently linked back to real customer outcomes instead of being treated as standalone announcements. That makes innovation feel more tangible and it helps explain why it’s now playing such a big role in how the brand is perceived, not just what it offers.

From challenger brand to market leader

A clear gap is also emerging between Octopus and its peers, but the comparison isn't straightforward. What began as a challenger brand has grown into one of the sector's most significant players, and yet its communications approach hasn't scaled in the same way its customer base has. It still responds at speed, still joins conversations early, and still uses a register that feels closer to how people actually talk about energy. 

Larger incumbents have scale on their side, but are often slower to adapt. The data reinforces this: Octopus Energy holds around a 23.6% share of voice among retail energy challengers in digital and social conversations. Not because it’s still competing in the challenger category, but because it has effectively defined it. Visibility alone is no longer enough, what matters is which brands feel most relevant and consistent when they are seen.

The main takeaway is that trust in this sector builds when energy providers stay part of the everyday conversation. That means being present around the topics people are already thinking about like bills, usage, and the energy transition, rather than only appearing when something goes wrong. For legacy providers, there is an opportunity to build that familiarity more deliberately, so they remain visible beyond the points where attention is highest.

Sinthu Satchi is UK country manager at Onclusive. [Onclusive has confirmed to Influence that it does not have a commercial relationship with Octopus Energy.]

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