AI Will Make Product Placement in Books Easy

Four years ago, I penned an article exploring the potential of product placement in novels — specifically within the diary chronicle genre. At the time, AI wasn’t as mainstream as it is today. For those of us in publishing AI has since revolutionised, accelerated and improved content creation, says Tiisetso Maloma, Publishing Director of Bula Buka Publishers.

Since then, numerous startups have emerged in the publishing space, often referred to as “booktech” companies.

Startups like Spines, Created by Humans, Inkitt and Book.io are at the forefront, offering services ranging from NFT-based book platforms to AI-enhanced manuscript editing, content licensing and even tools to predict a book’s success by analysing reader behaviour. Innovations also include AI-generated audiobooks and voice creations.

Although product placement in books hasn’t fully taken off yet, I believe AI will soon make it a widespread and seamless practice.

A Historical Context: The Origins of Writing and Product Placement

Books and writing are among the earliest technologies of human civilisation. The oldest known written script — cuneiform — dates back to around 3200 BC in Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq).

Product placement as a concept can be traced back to the 19^th century. One notable early instance is when shipping companies lobbied for mentions in Jules Verne’s 1873 novel Around the World in Eighty Days. This type of brand integration sets a precedent for product placement in literature.

Modern Examples of Product Placement

Courvoisier cognac became famous to many through Busta Rhymes’s 2002 song Pass the Courvoisier. While initially not paid for the mention, Busta’s artistic reference helped the brand gain immense visibility. This later led to a formal promotional partnership, illustrating the potential of brand placement in artistic works.

Similarly, the series Entourage popularised Avión Tequila through strategic product placement.

Product Placement in Literature

An early example of product placement in books is Fay Weldon’s 2000 novel The Bulgari Connection, where the luxury brand Bulgari was integrated into the title itself. This deal brought publicity to both the author and the brand, demonstrating how literature can be a valuable medium for brand visibility.

Other examples include Jenny Han’s 2014 novel To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, which featured Subway sandwiches and Yakult yogurt. When the book was adapted into a Netflix film, these brands gained additional exposure.

The Potential Role of AI in Product Placement

Platforms like Draft2Digital and Lulu.com simplify the global distribution of both print and digital books by aggregating content and distributing it to retailers such as Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Smashwords and others.

Looking ahead, I envision AI being used to integrate brand names seamlessly into specific scenes within books, enabling organic product placement. This could be tailored to clients’ needs without significantly altering the storyline or requiring a new ISBN.

For example, AI could allow advertisers to insert their client’s beer brand into a scene where a character is having a drink, ensuring the product’s integration enhances the story rather than distracting from it.

Upon receiving requests from brands, AI scripts could rewrite the scene, allowing authors or publishers to approve or edit the suggestions.

Brands could advertise on a monthly basis or based on a certain number of units sold. This is even possible for print-on-demand books, as the text could be updated dynamically for each print run, allowing tailored, timely advertisements in both digital and physical copies.

Such technology could be embedded within the platforms used by book distributors or retailers, enabling seamless, on-demand content adjustments.

Benefits of Product Placement

Product placement in literature offers two key benefits:

• Increased Publicity and Brand Relevance: For people to buy a product, they first need to be aware of it and see its value. 
• Boosted Sales: Busta’s song alone increased Courvoisier sales by 4.5% in the first quarter of 2002.

Product Placement in Diary Chronicle Books

Despite the potential, we haven’t actively pursued product placement deals for our diary chronicle books. 

Emerging in 2013 – 2014, the genre includes fast-paced, diary-style narratives centered on social media-driven lifestyles.

We’re exploring ways to integrate booktech into our publishing model and potentially launch a dedicated AI publishing accelerator or a fund for innovative publishing technologies.

As AI continues to evolve, I believe it will play a crucial role in bringing product placement into books, making this practice more prevalent and seamless than ever before.

For more information, visit www.bulabuka.co.za. You can also follow Bula Buka Publishers on Facebook, LinkedIn, X, or on Instagram.

*Image courtesy of Facebook