Finnish author Johannes Ekholm is currently promoting the book 'Huvudperson', which he could start writing thanks to a scholarship. When the money ran out before the novel was finished, Johannes Ekholm decided to try something new: product placement. This approach involved offering companies and cultural institutions to have their names written into the novel in exchange for payment.
According to SVT Nyheter, Johannes Ekholm described brands as akin to species recognition, making their inclusion feel natural. In the Finnish-language version of the book, there are about 20 product placements. It remains unclear how much money Johannes Ekholm managed to earn from this advertising revenue, and how product placement affects literature more broadly.
Brands today are like species recognition used to be, everyone can name as many brands as they want. Therefore it felt natural to include them.