Ask Sally #2 - Using brand names

I've been asked this twice lately. From an email correspondent and a new member of my writing group.

Is it okay to use brand names in stories?

There's no definite yes or no answer to this, though I think there may be rules regarding product placement. It is best, if you can, to use 'bleach' instead of Domestos or 'vodka' instead of Smirnoff. I don't think your story would be turned down for including brand names, but you might be saving the editor a bit of time.

It might be that the use of brand names is necessary in your story. A friend of mine who's just won the Wells Literary Festival used easily recognised designer names in her story as a quick way to show how materialistic her character is or has been. In this instance it was necessary to the story. In Stephen King's Lisey's Story, a product called Hamburger Helper gets an extended bout of product placement, to show that Lisey is not much of a cook. And it does exist as, mouth a-watering, I checked!

There are some brand names that have become verbs. The most of famous of these is Hoover. Most people would say 'I've hoovered the living room' rather than 'I've vacuumed the living room' (unless they're American) and I can't see 'I've Dysoned the living room' catching on, can you? So you might well get away with a story that uses hoover as a verb.

So, the first thing to do is ask whether your story needs the brand name. If it doesn't, use a generic term and save the editor some time. And as the link below to the 2 Blowhards' site shows, using brand names might well date your story, which can be a benefit or a curse, depending on how you look at it.

More Links

Nick Daws - Using Trademark names in fiction

2 Blowhards - Products in Fiction