Engagement drives outcomes.
We prove it. You use it.

What We Do

What is the Medill Spiegel Research Center?

The Medill Spiegel Research Center (SRC) is part of Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications.

The mission of the center is to undertake evidence-based, data-driven, quantitative analysis to understand the relationship between various forms of customer engagement and favorable financial outcomes. The center’s research includes assessing the financial impact of consumer engagement behaviors relative to social media, mobile devices, customer reviews and ratings, loyalty programs, multi-vendor shopping platforms, and more.

Our goal is to uncover evidence that shows which types of customer engagement with media and brands result in the most significant financial impact.

"We’ve benefitted immensely from this work that Northwestern’s done. "

Heather Perez

Former Senior Director of Marketing Insights & Data Science at Gannett

"I worship at the altar of the Spiegel Research Center."

Audrey Cooper

Former Editor at San Francisco Chronicle; Editor at WNYC

"Our partnership with the Medill Spiegel Research Center gave the study credibility and rigor that we could never have achieved on our own. Major media outlets around the world have cited the study for years following its publication. And working with the professors and students was inspiring."

Matt Moog

Interim Chief Executive Officer
at Chicago Public Media

"SRC delivers insights to the industry in a manner that supports strategic decisions and significant operational improvements. Their capabilities in this area are unlike any other academic institution we have worked with, and we are happy to support their work through our collaboration on the Medill Subscriber Engagement Index. "

Matt Lindsay

President at Mather

Recent Accomplishments

America's Newspapers partner with Medill and Mather on Subscriber Engagement Index project

The Medill Subscriber Engagement Index offers members the opportunity to develop game-changing, data-driven reader revenue and engagement trends at their fingertips — at no cost for the first year.

Featured News

Nearly Half of Digital Subscribers Are ‘Zombies,’ Medill Analysis Finds

March 1, 2021

Nearly half of local news outlets’ digital subscribers are “zombie” readers who visit the website less than once a month, according to a data analysis in 45 markets by Northwestern University’s Medill Spiegel Research Center.

Medill Survey Shows Most News Industry Workers Believe Polls are Overused and Unreliable

January 19, 2021

People working in U.S. media believe 2020 presidential election coverage was generally fair, but they also think polling was overplayed and unreliable, according to the first-ever Medill Media Industry Survey at Northwestern University.

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Engagement drives outcomes. We prove it. You use it.