The Edgar Hatcher Papers, 1952-1992, document Hatcher's career as a copywriter and creative director for several major advertising agencies, including G.M. Basford Co.; Benton and Bowles; Ogilvy, Benson, and Mather; Kenyon and Eckhardt; Batten, Barton, Durstine, and Osborn's San Francisco office; McCann-Erickson; and J. Walter Thompson Company. The collection provides an overview into oil company advertising and the development of advertising in several firms from the 1950s through the early 1990s. Materials include reports, correspondence, memoranda, scripts, storyboards, collateral literature, notes, photographs, audio and video tapes, films, and cassette recordings which document the creative development of print, radio and television advertising for various clients. Clients represented include General Electric, Air Reduction Co., Chemical Manufacturer's Association, IBM, Shell Oil, Maxim Freeze Dried Coffee, Ford and Lincoln Mercury, Chevron Oil, Exxon/Esso, Campbell's Soup, Advertising Council, National Council on Productivity and Quality of Working Life, Savings and Loan Foundation, Eastman Kodak, and Beechcraft.
The Clients Series focuses on Hatcher's work on radio and television advertising campaigns, and include many scripts for commercials in various stages of development. Of particular note are materials documenting campaigns for oil companies during the 1960s and 1970s, including Chevon, Shell and Exxon. Included is documentation of the award winning TV commercial for Super Shell Platformate Gasoline entitled " Railroad Mileage" from 1964 in which a car smashes through a paper sign. Included is significant documentation of advertising from 1968-1970 for Chevron's F-310 gasoline and materials relating to advertising for Exxon during the energy crisis in 1974-1975. Also included in this series are materials relating to Hatcher's creation of the famous " Ford has a Better Idea" campaign in 1966 and Hatcher's development of the " Efficiency of Quality" campaign for Beechcraft airplanes in the 1980s.
The Audio Visual Series contains recordings of interviews Hatcher conducted with several noted film makers between 1978-1980 for an Eastman Kodak campaign. Film makers interviewed include Margaret Booth, Joel Chaseman, Mike Cimino, Richard Donner, Blake Edwards, Bill Evans, Bob Gaffney, Art Ornitz, Aaron Spelling, Jimmy Stewart, Grant Tinker, and King Vidor. Also in this series are recordings of radio commercials with which Hatcher was involved such as Campbell's "Soup is Good Food" campaign for which Hatcher wrote the lyrics and copy. Also included are video tapes and films of television commerials created by Hatcher.
The Advertisements Series contains print advertisements for campaigns on which Hatcher worked. The Chevron F-310 and the Beechcraft " Efficiency of Quality" campaigns are best represented. A 1955 Chemical Manufacturer's Association ad features the Hatcher family in High Point, NC.