Name Dropping

[OhMissScarlett]

I'm writing a story that takes place in LA and my main character is this rich movie director. I'm wondering how other writers and readers feel about the use of brand name products in stories.

Try as I might to be original and describe how people are dressed, what sort of cars they're driving, etc., without saying BMW or Prada, sometimes I'm at a loss. Never would I saturate a story to the point that it looked like an advertisement, but sometimes I think it's okay to use a brand to show a character's taste. What do you think? Anyone have any specific rules they follow?

 

[cloudy]

I think it's fine, especially since some brands have come to symbolize certain things in this world we live in. Prada and BMW are but a couple.

 

[carsonshepherd]

I'm writing a story that takes place in LA and my main character is this rich movie director. I'm wondering how other writers and readers feel about the use of brand name products in stories.

Try as I might to be original and describe how people are dressed, what sort of cars they're driving, etc., without saying BMW or Prada, sometimes I'm at a loss. Never would I saturate a story to the point that it looked like an advertisement, but sometimes I think it's okay to use a brand to show a character's taste. What do you think? Anyone have any specific rules they follow?

You know what I think

Brand names are a way out of actually describing the item. You can do better.

"by a famous designer" would be enough.

 

[yui]

I would use brand names if needed. "Designer shoes" works, but I have more of a mental image if you tell me they are Jimmy Choo's.

 

[tolyk]

I think it associates easily with your readers, given that they are familiar with the brand names in question.

Take for example Tylenol, in North America that actually means something. To most of the rest of the world it doesn't mean much.

However, I have to also agree with Carson about it being a way out of describing something. To a point, I mean it used to be that people would say automobile/automotive in their writings now we call them cars, even some times when its a truck Is it lazy writing? No, its our cultural standard.

I had more to go on about, but I forget.. heh.

 

[wornoutkeyboard]

I think it depends.

A story set in LA with a movie director as a lead? Sure.... LA is all about the name brands. You should just stick a great big Nike swoosh over the whole city (or county as it may be). Name dropping and label dropping is about as common as breathing in LA. It fits the scenes....and the characters.


However...story about a boy getting it on in the barnhouse of his uncle's farm? Unless it's John Deere....I don't think so.

That's when it becomes a cop out. "His face reminded me of Brad Pitt..." First of all...yuck...Not a fan of Mr. Pitt. Secondly, what about his face reminded you of Brad Pitt? Tell me he has piercing feline eyes and a day old beard. (And int he case of Brad Pit...unwashed hair and a rumpled suit). Don't just cop out by saying they look "like" someone. Thirdly, will everyone know who Brad Pitt is in 50 years. Perhaps you a a literary genius (as am I) and your work survives this long. Will anyone know who Brad Pitt is? I talked to a 19 year old girl the other day who didn't know who Robert Redford is or who Cary Grant was. Now...in a story about LA and set in that neon-light, pink flamingo type atmosphere... I think it's a risk worth taking. Billy Joe and Danny doin it in the barn? Hope not.

~WOK (Casually dropping her own name)

 

[lucky-E-leven]

I don't think it's lazy. There are motorcycles and then there are Ducatis. Sometimes it's good to let a reader insert their favorite model of something into a brand. I wouldn't go so far as to list model numbers or anything, but I think the point is made quite clearly by saying 'BMW' and then moving on, rather than shifting an otherwise flowing paragraph away from the action so as to describe an exotic european car. I mean, if someone's about to get laid, I don't want to hear about the car. (And I even have gasoline running through my veins.)

$0.02

~lucky

 

[brightlyiburn]

Well, while too much of this sort of thing is bad, a little doesn't hurt.
In fact, I get quite a bit of feedback about how people like that I mentioned things they know, that they can connect to.
No offense, Carson, but if I read "by a famous designer" I'm more likely to think that you don't know any famous designers. If I read "by Yves Saint-Laurent" my thought is hey, this person knows stuff.
That being said, I generally take it upon myself to describe every detail of clothing. But I love designing clothes. When someone mentions Prada or Armani, I'm at least able to get into my mind the type of clothing. I wouldn't expect everyone to be able to describe clothes, because it can be really difficult.

 

[R. Richard]

I prefer to use brand names in my stories. My reasoning is that my readers are of a level of sophistication that "Manolo Blahnik" or "Ferrari" or "Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame Brut '96" mean something more than designer shoes or foreign sports car or champagne. I am talking here the kind of people who know that Chanel also makes a No. 22 perfume and who Coco Chanel was.

JMHO.

 

[carsonshepherd]

"Famous designer" is a lame example, but I've had a few beers. Scarlett knows my thoughts anyway.

 

[minsue]

I think it depends.

A story set in LA with a movie director as a lead? Sure.... LA is all about the name brands. You should just stick a great big Nike swoosh over the whole city (or county as it may be). Name dropping and label dropping is about as common as breathing in LA. It fits the scenes....and the characters.


However...story about a boy getting it on in the barnhouse of his uncle's farm? Unless it's John Deere....I don't think so.

That's when it becomes a cop out. "His face reminded me of Brad Pitt..." First of all...yuck...Not a fan of Mr. Pitt. Secondly, what about his face reminded you of Brad Pitt? Tell me he has piercing feline eyes and a day old beard. (And int he case of Brad Pit...unwashed hair and a rumpled suit). Don't just cop out by saying they look "like" someone. Thirdly, will everyone know who Brad Pitt is in 50 years. Perhaps you a a literary genius (as am I) and your work survives this long. Will anyone know who Brad Pitt is? I talked to a 19 year old girl the other day who didn't know who Robert Redford is or who Cary Grant was. Now...in a story about LA and set in that neon-light, pink flamingo type atmosphere... I think it's a risk worth taking. Billy Joe and Danny doin it in the barn? Hope not.

~WOK (Casually dropping her own name)

Beautifully put.

 

[dr_mabeuse]

These days brand names have meaning and cachet beyond their descriptive power. When you say someone's wearing a Tommy Hilfiger shirt, you're not describing the shirt as much as you're describing the sensiblility of the guy wearing it. You're giving us an idea of his status as well as saying that he's one of those people for whom brand names are status objects.

If you're dealing with the shallow and status-driven world of Hollywood, using a lot of brand names can be a very effective device.

Saying that someone got into their "expensive EUropean automobile" is not the same as saying they got into their BMW, which in itself is different from saying that they got into their BMW 320i (or whatever they are). The latter might not tell us what the car looks like (which isn't important anyhow, unless you're writing a story about cars), but it tells us a lot about your character: that he cares about little status tags like what model of BMW he drives.

There are a couple of things you should be aware of, though, if you use brand names. Number one is that a lot of your readers may not get your references if they're too obscure. I know what Manolo Blahnicks are, but I'll bet most men don't, and so that reference would fly right over their heads. The second thing is that your story may not age that well, fashions and brands coming and going so quickly these days.

---dr.M.

 

[OhMissScarlett]

Thanks everyone so much for your replies. Most of you have confirmed how I feel about the subject. Carson, I totally get what you mean about doing better at descriptions, but in this story "her high dollar platinum watch" just aint gonna cut it. I'll try not to be too obscure. I think everyone knows what a Rolex is by now.

Wok, now you've got me thinking about boys getting it on in the barnhouse on a John Deere. Le sigh. Or, excuse me, their expensive designer tractor .

 

[wornoutkeyboard]

Wok, now you've got me thinking about boys getting it on in the barnhouse on a John Deere. Le sigh. Or, excuse me, their expensive designer tractor .

Well Scarlett...at least now I'm not the only one!

~WOK

Gotta go to bed now...just did my thai chi and if i sit at the computer for too long it will mess up my chi before bed time. Nighty night all.

PS~ Why is it that thai chi makes me want a cigarette so bad afterwards but I can't smoke one because it will screw with my chi before bed? And no one wants to see a WOK in the morning if her chi wasn't happy before bed.

 

[oggbashan]

Cross cultures

Sometimes the image doesn't translate.

In the UK an Audi car has some status. In Germany it doesn't have the same cachet.

A Rolex watch is one thing. A fake Rolex has associations with cheap thugs.

What would be normal in Hollywood would be considered nouveau riche in London, maybe even soap-opera or footballers' wives overindulgence. Understated elegance in Paris wouldn't cut it in Hollywood.

Aristocratic grunge - shopping in green wellies and torn barbour jacket - works in the local town's high street where everyone who is anyone knows that you are Lord or Lady Whatever, but cuts no ice in Oxford Street.

Og

 

[OhMissScarlett]

Sometimes the image doesn't translate.

In the UK an Audi car has some status. In Germany it doesn't have the same cachet.

A Rolex watch is one thing. A fake Rolex has associations with cheap thugs.

What would be normal in Hollywood would be considered nouveau riche in London, maybe even soap-opera or footballers' wives overindulgence. Understated elegance in Paris wouldn't cut it in Hollywood.

Aristocratic grunge - shopping in green wellies and torn barbour jacket - works in the local town's high street where everyone who is anyone knows that you are Lord or Lady Whatever, but cuts no ice in Oxford Street.

Og

Interesting you should bring this up. One of the key elements in my story is precisely that sort of difference which is being explored. My main character, the big time Hollywood director, begins to realize just how little all the wealth and status means when suddenly she's thrown in with Eastern European characters. It doesn't translate, which forces her to examine the importance of it all.

 

[TheEarl]

At the risk of scaring the horses: Scarlett Thomas.

This is not a CV baiting attempt, but a genuine reference to a book. In 'Bright Young Things' there are a lot (and I mean a lot) of pop-culture references from television shows to UK gossip. All of them are used in dialogue and manage to carry off a very neat effect of demonstrating the shallowness of the characters, whilst demonstrating the way they're brought together by pop-culture. It wouldn't have worked without the name drops though; description would've left the scenes overly bulky and nowhere near as snappy.

I say go for it. If it makes your story better, then it's more than worthwhile.

The Earl

 

[LadyJeanne]

Wok, now you've got me thinking about boys getting it on in the barnhouse on a John Deere. Le sigh. Or, excuse me, their expensive designer tractor .

Just say something like, "Billy Boy's sweaty face pressed hard against the flaking green paint of the ancient tractor as Danny plowed into him from behind with his throbbing..."

Anyone who knows their tractors knows Deere's are green and yellow.

 

[NoJo]

I'm writing a story that takes place in LA and my main character is this rich movie director. I'm wondering how other writers and readers feel about the use of brand name products in stories.

Try as I might to be original and describe how people are dressed, what sort of cars they're driving, etc., without saying BMW or Prada, sometimes I'm at a loss. Never would I saturate a story to the point that it looked like an advertisement, but sometimes I think it's okay to use a brand to show a character's taste. What do you think? Anyone have any specific rules they follow?

I think it depends. My LA story is chockful of brand names (admitedly put there for comic effect). I've lived in LA, That's how people are. The whole place is one big piece of product placement. It makes me sick from my Timberlands to my Porsche shades.

 

[OhMissScarlett]

I say go for it. If it makes your story better, then it's more than worthwhile.

The Earl

I really believe it makes the story eye-catching and interesting. After a certain point, there's no wardrobe in the story anyway, might as well make it pop until the clothes come off, I say.
Psst, stop scaring the horses.

Just say something like, "Billy Boy's sweaty face pressed hard against the flaking green paint of the ancient tractor as Danny plowed into him from behind with his throbbing..."

I'm getting closer and closer to writing this story.

 

[impressive]

I know what Manolo Blahnicks are, but I'll bet most men don't, and so that reference would fly right over their heads.

Thank you, Sex and the City.

I agree with Zoot. The brands can give instant depth to a character. You can spend 200 words describing some schmuck -- or you can put him in a vintage gold '79 ThunderBird and a top-stitched cream polyester leisure suit (and save 188 words).

~ Imp

 

[NoJo]

There are a couple of things you should be aware of, though, if you use brand names. Number one is that a lot of your readers may not get your references if they're too obscure. I know what Manolo Blahnicks are, but I'll bet most men don't, and so that reference would fly right over their heads. The second thing is that your story may not age that well, fashions and brands coming and going so quickly these days.

---dr.M.

My earliest story was about a playboy whose babe layer proved irresistable to all the chicks. It was his Denon Sterophonic system that wowed them out of their pointy Playtexes.

 

[OhMissScarlett]

Thank you, Sex and the City.

I agree with Zoot. The brands can give instant depth to a character. You can spend 200 words describing some schmuck -- or you can put him in a vintage gold '79 ThunderBird and a top-stitched cream polyester leisure suit (and save 188 words).

~ Imp

Two words: Herb Tarlick

 

[OhMissScarlett]

My earliest story was about a playboy whose babe layer proved irresistable to all the chicks. It was his Denon Sterophonic system that wowed them out of their pointy Playtexes.

Where's my time machine, I want to go back to the seventies and boink the living daylights out of Joe.

 

[Guest]