Brand names of obscure things

By obscure, I take it to mean unimportant-to-plot items.

Are you consistent with naming "obscure things" in your WIP?
Is brand of other such things important to bringing realism, like a pen, TV, smart phone, other?

For me, as a reader, I would wonder why one thing is given a brand name and not others. If nothing added to the story, I'd wonder why it was added. I might get frustrated not being able to figure out why the brand name was germane.

Just some thoughts to add to the mix.

If it's just mentioned in passing and there's no hint of adverse authorial opinion about it I can't see any issue. If it's obscure would folk notice or know what it meant? Rolls Royce? Coke?

Or you could get your point over in other way if you preferred.

"Organ sounds fantastic, Vicar."

"So it should. Been here over a hundred years. Fortunately, one of our members knows how to maintain it, thank goodness."

OR

"Should do. Full set of century old pipes. Second hand but cost us a fortune."

OR whatever best suits the sscenario.

Kat M said:

I have been watching this topic on the boards and elsewhere for awhile now, and I am getting mixed messages as to whether you use real brand names in your writing (for realism) or not (to keep from association, negative or positive). I see different practices in published works, too.

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I like using occasional brand names in historical romances, because I feel it brings a sense of realism to the setting. My characters may be living a hundred and thirty years ago, but there were plenty of brand-name goods back then and my characters are aware of them. It could also be an indication that the marmalade or soap or whatever is bought rather than being homemade.

So, my question: I'm not sure how far to go with said realism. Initially, I made up a name, then I thought that looked tacky, so I used a real organ builder. But now I'm concerned that looks like an endorsement or advertisement or is somehow wrong.

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I don't think the mere mention of a particular brand is an endorsement any more than Stephen King's characters using Diamond Blue Tip Matches is an endorsement of Diamond Blue Tip Matches.

I'm not sure about books for sure, but in TV we always have to clear every brand. It probably has something to do with showing the logo though, which is copy-written imagery.
I would write it in if you think it adds value, and just flag it for an editor in the future.

Lots of good suggestions. Consistency is important, as said. But that doesn't mean you have to 'real-name' everything.

I think the best guide is to remember that, if you can't invent a thing eg London, The Queen, the Empire State building, Superglue without tortuous twists and ugly phrases, then go ahead and name it.

In your case, there is the option of having a similar sounding name (eg referring to a certain piano as a 'Steenberg' instead of a 'Steinway'.

Personally, I dont use brand names or real world allusions when I'm writing. It doesn't seem aesthetically pleasing, to me. Facetiming etc. Googling. They break the spell, somehow.

You should be fine with copyright / fear of looking like you've been paid to do a product placement.

One famous author did that! It was a big scandal here. She allegedly took money to mention a certain kind of diamond in her novel...

I think the point of using a brand name is that it brings an instant image or impression to mind so that you don't have to describe something in detail. If I'm reading a WWII novel and Lucky Strikes are mentioned, then I know exactly what the logo and cigarette carton looks like. I have no idea what Gucchi bags look like, but I know the brand is expensive and would be under the impression the character is rich if they're carrying a Gucci bag.

Is the brand name of your organ something that's going to trigger a certain image or impression for any readers? If so, I'd include it.

If not, I don't really see a reason to include it, but I don't think it will hurt if you feel like you need the extra realism, and I certainly wouldn't see it as an endorsement or advertisement. (I'd go with a real name over a made-up name though. I'd be annoyed if I googled it and couldn't find any organs by that maker.)

I'd say "Kat, you're overthinking." If the organ's name isn't vitally important to the plot, fuggedaboudit. Use one of Bufty's solutions, maybe slide in the name if it's really bugging you "Yes, it's a X. Hundred years old, perfect pitch. Priceless." Or similar.

I doubt that there are many readers who would recognize a prestige organ-maker by name. Not like a Steinway piano. If you say 'Steinway' most people will assume it's an expensive piano, in that one word. Organs, not so much. It's just a thing that indicates you're in a church.

frimble3 said:

I doubt that there are many readers who would recognize a prestige organ-maker by name. Not like a Steinway piano. If you say 'Steinway' most people will assume it's an expensive piano, in that one word. Organs, not so much. It's just a thing that indicates you're in a church.

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If it's just as easy to get it right, the OP might as well use the name. Organ and music enthusiasts will get the reference and appreciate the "street cred" as it lends extra weight to the characters' claims of its virtues, while the rest of readers can figure out from context that it's a Gucci of an organ and not a Walmart knockoff. To paraphrase the philosophy of Mystery Science Theater 3000: write it, and the right people will understand.

InsomniaShark said:

I think the point of using a brand name is that it brings an instant image or impression to mind so that you don't have to describe something in detail. If I'm reading a WWII novel and Lucky Strikes are mentioned, then I know exactly what the logo and cigarette carton looks like. I have no idea what Gucchi bags look like, but I know the brand is expensive and would be under the impression the character is rich if they're carrying a Gucci bag.

Is the brand name of your organ something that's going to trigger a certain image or impression for any readers? If so, I'd include it.

If not, I don't really see a reason to include it, but I don't think it will hurt if you feel like you need the extra realism, and I certainly wouldn't see it as an endorsement or advertisement. (I'd go with a real name over a made-up name though. I'd be annoyed if I googled it and couldn't find any organs by that maker.)

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I second this, but would like to mention one thing that bugs me - when writers use ONLY the brand name without any other clue what the product is! I quickly gave up on one novel that described what the guy was wearing with just 3 brand names that I had not heard of. I had no idea whether it was referring to sunglasses, shoes, clothes, etc. The writer did the same thing describing the furniture in the room. I couldn't see why she was even mentioning the furniture brands.

You could have fictional brand names that are little more on point than the real world counterparts:

Organs 'R Us for the mass produced version

Bob's Handcrafted Organs for the independent version

The guideline I use for whether to include a brand name is what the POV character would call it. Period.

Managing trademarks has always been part of my career in marketing. Trust me when I say trademark owners or guardians are not perusing novels looking for use of their marks so that they can sue authors or publishers. The purpose of a registered trademark is branding your product so that consumers can differentiate it from your competitors' products. A random author mentioning your brand in a book (yup, even "disparagingly") is not going to raise an eyebrow with the trademark owner unless that book is some kind of runaway bestseller, or completely based on their trademark in some way. Even then it's more than likely a case of "I don't care what you say as long as you spell my (brand) name right."

Look at the number of traditionally published novels that use brand names right and left. Those trad publishers have lawyers. If it was a huge problem, they wouldn't let authors do it. In some genres (like so-called upmarket women's fiction) it's expected. Some of those authors can't seem to sit down to their keyboards without typing "Manolo Blahnik" or "Kate Spade." Brands are part of our world and if you're penning reality based fiction, there are probably going to be some brands mentioned unless your story is set in the Stone Age.

I wrote a blog post that goes into this in more detail. Trademarks in Fiction.

ETA: No, I'm not a trademark lawyer but I have more than 20 years of experience with trademarks as the person who decides when one of our company's multiple trademarks has been violated. "Mentioned in a book" is not a violation.