A Secret History of Brands: The Dark and Twisted Beginnings of the Brand Names We Know and Love

Matt MacNabb

Dec 2021 · Tantor Media Inc · Narrated by Matt Godfrey

About this audiobook

We live our lives immersed in name brand products. It's hard to drive down the street without seeing a plethora of chain restaurants, car dealerships, branded clothing they're all around us. What most of us don't know is that the origins of many of the most well-known and beloved brands in the world are shrouded in controversy, drug use and sometimes even addled with blatant racism. A Secret History of Brands cuts through the rumors and urban legends and paints a picture of the true dark history of famous brands, like Coca-Cola, Hugo Boss, Adidas, Ford, Bayer, Chanel and BMW among others. Explore the mystery of the cocaine content of Coca-Cola, the Hitler-Henry Ford connection and why Bayer is famous for asprin, but began their journey with Heroin, and how Kellogg's Corn Flakes were crafted to deter sexual arousal. Thoroughly researched, MacNabb details firsthand conducted interviews alongside fairly weighed research to present the decisive view of brands histories that you haven't heard of yet.

About the author

Matt MacNabb is a pop culture historian, author, and freelance writer that has spent the better part of the past twenty years studying movies, tv, comics, toys, and their effects on our culture. Visit him at MattMacNabb.com.

Matt Godfrey was raised on O'Connor, Welty, and Lee. He spent most of his teenage years in Yoknapatawpha County, but traveled wherever the books took him, from Alabama to Tokyo, Twain to Murakami. Now he has the privilege of bringing those books to life as an audiobook narrator.