Culturally significant or common household names always found a way into literature but it is the first time I find two mentions of brands so blatantly placed that the only conclusion I’m led to reach is of paid product placement.
The book in question is “The House in the Woods”, by Mark Dawson. In the very first few paragraphs there is a mention to Hello Fresh, with a not so subtle description of the service, along with an admission of a character on how the instructions to prepare a meal are so simple even they can follow it, and a mention to Spotify. Deeper into the book I’ve already noticed a mention of Nescafé instant coffee.
None of these mentioned brands needed to be there. The writer seems proficient enough to be able to write without resorting to such name placements. The story telling is fluid, with a smooth but dense tone to it, which is something I enjoy in crime/drama/mistery novels.
Has this been a thing for a long time and only now I’m noticing the elephant in the room or is this a rising trend?
Everyone needs and deserves to make a living but not like this.
Also in three sentences they used “she had” 5 times. This sample reads as if it never even passed an editor.
Edit: actually there is another “she had” in the first sentence. Crazy.
Regardless this disastrous opening, the story actually flows well and is quite nice to follow. Overlooking the endless brand dropping throughout the text.
“He passed the Aldi on his way to”[…] “He filled a large Ikea bag with clothes”[…] etc.
I don’t know when this book was first published, but is there a chance that it was at least partially written by or with “help” from AI?