In 1933, General Motors President and CEO Alfred Sloan established the automobile industry’s first full-time consumer research department under the direction of Henry “Buck” Weaver, a pioneer in market-based decision making. Weaver’s staff sent three million mailings a year to GM and non-GM customers, achieving a remarkable 25% response rate. People were asked about GM products, upholstery textures, colours, vehicle designs, and technology, and their feedback was incorporated into GM vehicles. The approach was so novel that Time magazine featured Weaver on its cover in November 1938, reporting that his research led to 185 vehicle improvements, ranging from longer bumpers and rubber-padded pedals to air conditioning and the partial elimination of running boards.
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