What an Octopus, Dove and Reddit campaign reminded me about trust in marketing

A few months ago, just before Christmas, I shared a photo on LinkedIn of the Octopus Energy mascot sitting on my desk with the caption, “No insights. No lessons learnt…”

Now, comfortably into July, it’s safe to say I might have to eat my words 😂

I recently listened to a Nudge Podcast about the thinking behind the Octopus Energy brand, particularly its mascot, and it reminded me how much trust is shaped by the small things brands choose to show.

Quickly remind yourself of what the Octopus mascot looks like. The friendly eyes. The smile. The soft, approachable character. None of it happened by accident. It was designed to make people feel something. To make a brand feel a little more human, familiar and easy to connect with.

Right on cue, ping, lightbulb moment.

Funny how it all comes back to sociology

At school, I studied Sociology, which at the time was all about understanding why people behave the way they do, how society shapes our decisions and how the world around us influences our beliefs, attitudes and actions.

Back then, it didn’t even occur to me how important those ideas would be in the world of marketing that I now spend my working days living in. But the more I work in the industry, the more I realise it’s exactly the same thing.

Marketing isn’t just about creating nice-looking adverts or writing catchy headlines. It’s about understanding people.

How we build trust, why we believe the words of some brands and not others, and why we feel comfortable engaging with certain businesses, as well as why we instantly switch off from others.

The environment around us constantly influences our behaviour, whether that’s culture, social media, customer reviews, community conversations or even something as simple as a smiling octopus.

Trust is built when brands stop hiding

That podcast made me think less about the mascot itself and more about what sits behind it.

Trust doesn’t necessarily come from looking perfect. It comes from feeling like people - or a brand - are open and honest consistently.

The brands I trust most are usually the ones that don’t try to hide too much. They explain what they stand for. They show the people behind the business. They admit when something is changing. They make it easy to understand who they are, what they do and why they do it.

That sounds simple, but it’s something a lot of brands struggle with.

Sometimes businesses can become so focused on saying the “right” thing that they end up saying very little at all. Everything becomes polished, careful and safe. But when a brand hides behind vague messaging, stock phrases or overly controlled content, it becomes harder to connect with them.

People aren’t bothered about perfection; more often than not, they’re just looking for honesty.

Authenticity has never mattered more

One campaign that came up in a different podcast, this time a Target Internet podcast I tuned into recently was Dove’s real reviews campaign, which - for those who don’t know - was a campaign that showcases unfiltered Reddit reviews of Dove’s Intensive Repair 10-in-1 Serum Mask.

Rather than trying to dominate the conversation, Dove recognised where honest conversations were already happening. On Reddit.

People don’t visit Reddit expecting polished advertising. They go there to hear genuine opinions, ask questions and learn from other people’s experiences. Dove leaned into that behaviour instead of trying to change it, recognising that credibility often comes from communities rather than shinny campaigns.

I think that’s what makes it so interesting.

Dove didn’t try to pretend the conversation wasn’t happening and hide from the places where people were already being open. They paid attention, listened properly and found a way to show up in a forum where honesty always comes first.

That feels increasingly important as marketers because we regularly encourage brands to gather testimonials, share customer stories and celebrate genuine experiences. But the real value in those things is not just that they “perform well” as content. It’s that they give people proof.

Proof that someone has had a real experience, proof that the brand can be trusted and proof that there is something genuine behind the message.

Maybe the lesson is simple

The more I think about it, if you want to build trust within your target audience, you just can’t get around being willing to show the real people, stories and thinking behind your brand.

That doesn’t mean sharing absolutely everything. It doesn’t mean brands need to become overly personal or unfiltered. But it does mean not shying away from sharing insights that make you credible, useful or human, because people notice when something feels genuine, and they also notice when it doesn’t.

I think that word, real, matters more than ever. I can scroll down TikTok or Instagram and immediately see countless posts that are AI-generated - a review, content, or video; they just don’t feel real. And that - in the growing world and application of AI - is exactly what people are craving. Reality.

Whether it’s a smiling octopus, honest feedback on Reddit or a customer sharing their own experience, trust starts when a brand gives people a real reason to connect.

The channels may change, and the trends will keep changing, but trust? That still comes from being open, honest and most of all human.