Written by
Abbie Mason
Shake Shack just got a very good supporting role in Slow Horses
This was not an accidental bit of background dressing
Introduction
There is a moment in the new season of Slow Horses that should make anyone working in brand comms sit up.
In S6E4, Lost and Found, Reece Nesmith chooses a Shake Shack in Camden as a meeting point because, quite simply, he is hungry. What follows is considerably less ordinary. Jackson Lamb and Frank Harkness end up facing each other across a table in one of the episode’s standout scenes.
The Ringer has already dubbed it the "Showdown at the Shake Shack", while Roger Ebert described the exchange between Gary Oldman and Hugo Weaving as a "mini-masterpiece". Not bad company for a burger brand. PodScripts
This was not an accidental bit of background dressing
We actually got a preview back in January 2025, when the Camden New Journal reported that Slow Horses had taken over part of Camden High Street for filming. Gary Oldman was spotted upstairs inside Shake Shack, with the road closed to accommodate the production. Camden New Journal
There is no public confirmation I could find that Shake Shack paid for the appearance, so it is worth resisting the temptation to call it a confirmed paid partnership. It could be paid placement, a location agreement, prop placement or simply a very accommodating production choice.
Whatever the commercial arrangement, the brand exposure is excellent.
Why the Shake Shack moment works
It passes the most important test. It makes sense.
Reece wants food. Shake Shack is a believable place to meet. The brand is unmistakable, but nobody suddenly starts delivering a monologue about the quality of the crinkle-cut fries.
And that matters.
Research into brand placement consistently suggests that integration is more powerful when the product feels connected to the plot. A large meta-analysis found particularly strong effects on brand memory, alongside smaller positive effects on brand salience, attitudes and purchase behaviour. Plot-connected placements tended to perform better than brands simply dropped into the background. ScienceDirect
More recent research published in 2026 found that prominence and actual interaction between characters and products can significantly influence brand attitudes and, in turn, purchase intention. Wiley Online Library
So Shake Shack has a few things going for it here
A memorable scene
Two heavyweight actors
A real London location
Proper narrative relevance
Plenty of brand visibility without an obvious sales pitch
That is a rather better media buy than a logo sitting quietly on a desk.
But does product placement still work in 2026
It seems so. We are just much more sensitive to bad examples of it.
Fresh YouGov research from June 2026 found that 45 per cent of US adults always or often notice brands appearing in films, TV and streaming content. More than half, 52 per cent, consider product placement an effective form of advertising. Food and drink brands are particularly noticeable, with 76 per cent of people who notice placements saying that is the category they spot most often. YouGov
Perhaps more interestingly, 44 per cent said they had taken some kind of action after seeing a brand in entertainment. That included searching for it online, discussing it, considering buying it or visiting the brand’s channels. Ten per cent said they had actually bought something. YouGov
The catch is subtlety.
Nearly half of respondents said placement becomes annoying when it feels forced or unnatural. Characters awkwardly talking about brands, relentless repetition and anything that starts distracting from the story also scored badly. YouGov
Another 2026 study offers an interesting wrinkle. Repeated, subtle visual appearances of a brand improved attitudes without obvious wear-out. Repeated spoken brand mentions did not have the same effect. In other words, being seen can work rather better than constantly insisting on being heard. DOI
Conclusion
The real lesson for brands
Audiences in 2026 are not necessarily anti-brand. They are anti-clunky. The best placements do not stop the entertainment to deliver a marketing message. They become part of the entertainment. For brands thinking about this space, the formula is probably less complicated than we sometimes make it - Choose cultural relevance over simple reach - Give the brand a believable reason to be there - Let the programme create the memory - Know when to shut up Shake Shack gets a significant chunk of one of Slow Horses’ most talked-about scenes without Jackson Lamb ever needing to tell us about the special sauce. Sometimes that is more than enough.