I'm in the process of writing a novel. Would it be okay to mention a product by its brand name, i.e., Tabasco or Dr. Pepper? Any help is appreciated. 
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Using a brand name?
- Thread starter texas_girl
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In general, it's fine. There might be some problems if you show the product poisoning people, I suppose.
There've been several threads about this in the past. If you use the search facility at the top of the forum, you can probably find them and read about the finer points.
There've been several threads about this in the past. If you use the search facility at the top of the forum, you can probably find them and read about the finer points.
I asked this same question about a week or so ago. If you search for posts using my screen name Kathl33n, you'll find it. Unfortunately, I am not forum savvy yet and don't know how to post a link.
I got wonderful responses if you'd like to check them out.
I got wonderful responses if you'd like to check them out.
It's fine. You don't want your novel to read like a catalogue, but real people use real prodcuts, and the choice of products can indicate personality. A character who prefers a Grape Nehi and a Moon Pie is going to be very different from a character who would rather have Dom Perignon and Beluga cavier.
This question has occurred to me as well. Rather than take any chances, I will usually go the politically correct way and just invent a new name which could be associated with the product. Some might balk at this, but if you've traveled enough, you'll find that 'Dr.' on any soda pretty much means it's a local version of Dr. Pepper (Mountain X, Cola, so on and so forth). Word association, friends! It can be quite fun.
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