History of Advertising Trust (HAT) is a charity that preserves agency legacy, celebrates brand heritage, engages with education and supports dementia care - with the ultimate goal of promoting advertising as a force for good.

Supporters include trade bodies - Advertising Association, IPA and ISBA - and, through brand archaeology, we work with agencies who are keen to understand heritage brands when pitching to win their business.

It is the largest accredited advertising archive in the world and we curate and protect the heritage collections of brands such as Butlin's, Carr's Ginsters, Hovis, Jacob's, Kraft Heinz, McVitie's and Vimto, becoming an extension of their marketing, comms or brand protection teams.

With over 10 million items dating back to the 1800s we offer researchers, students, broadcasters and publishers unrivalled facilities in seven environmentally controlled archives totalling 10,000 sq ft.

In 2026, we shall celebrate our 50th anniversary and we are proud to be able to offer our digital cataloguing service to agencies and brands whose legacies may be lost through merger, acquisition or downsizing.

To find out more about our work visit https://www.hatads.org.uk or email enquiries@hatads.org.uk