The records of the Prime Manufacturing Company are primarily the advertising and sales records of the division of the company that dealt with the production of the electric fences. They contain only fragmentary information on the other divisions of the company. The records mainly document the advertising and promotional strategy of the company regarding its electric fence sales. The records have been arranged in five series: Background Files, Correspondence, Advertising Literature, Sales Division Records, and Research Files.
The BACKGROUND FILES deal with the history of the company and its predecessor in the manufacture of electric fences, the Gengler Electric Fence Company. There are two files on the Gengler company and the Gengler patent, and one file of general background information on the Prime Manufacturing Company.
The CORRESPONDENCE FILES primarily contain incoming correspondence for the years 1935 1939. The letters are most often commentaries on the successful usage of the Prime Electric Fences. Only a limited file of outgoing correspondence, from 1937 1938 is included.
The major series of the collection is that of the ADVERTISING MATERIALS. Included are advertising publications of all kinds: catalogs, circulars, brochures, bulletins, newsletters, and a ready reference encyclopedia. The years 1934 1940 are the most completely documented. Substantial files of photographs (still unprocessed and not listed in this finding aid) and layout sketches for advertisements, as well as actual posters and signs, illustrate how the advertising literature was composed. The unprocessed photograph collection, housed in the State Historical Society's Visual Materials Archive, is particularly extensive, including photographs of Gengler, electric fences in operation across the country, and a variety of animals encountering the electric fences. A merchandising program and examples of advertisements from other Prime products give further examples of the company's advertising philosophy. In addition to offering a good overview of the varied avenues of advertising pursued by the company, the records also provide a good deal of information about the product itself. This is especially true for the bulletins and newsletters, which provide detailed product information and specifications for potential buyers.
The series of SALES RECORDS is closely related to the advertising literature, but aimed more directly at the dealers who would be selling the fences, rather than at the buyer. The sales bulletins and newsletters dating primarily from 1936 to 1939 illustrate the image that the company hoped to project in promoting its product. Information on the insurance policy that was issued through Lloyd's of London to cover the fences is also included. The records contain limited sales figures, export information, and price lists. There are some routine materials relating to office procedures concerning shipping, returns, and service. The files relating to consumer surveys give a good idea of the company's perspective on the importance of consumer input.
The RESEARCH FILES of the company contain a significant body of information concerning the general topic of electric fences. There are handbooks with general standards for electric fences, as well as information on some of the state specifications for electric fences. There is technical data compiled by the company on electric fences, as well as the outside literature that they collected in their research on electric fences. The report commissioned by Prime from the Underwriters' Laboratory is included here. There is also a group of files relating to the usage of electric fences for specific purposes like pasture control, and for specific animals.
