AI in Search Marketing Adoption Is High While Gaps Remain
Artificial Intelligence in Search Marketing 2026 AI has rapidly moved from an emerging technology to essential infrastructure in search marketing, yet significant questions remain about adoption depth, organizational readiness, and measurable impact. To address these, the Spiegel Research Center conducted this study to uncover how marketing professionals are integrating AI into their search workflows, what […]
Kelly Cutler Presented on AI ROI at the 2026 AMEC Global Summit on Measurement
Kelly Cutler, associate professor and associate director of research at Northwestern University’s Medill Spiegel Research Center, presented at the 2026 AMEC Global Summit on Measurement, held May 18–20 in Dublin, Ireland. Her session, The AI ROI Reality Check: What Actually Drives Value in AI Marketing, examined the gap between AI productivity gains and genuine business […]
Featured in ANA: Kelly Cutler Discusses Paid Search in the AI Era
Kelly Cutler, associate professor and associate director of research at Northwestern University’s Medill Spiegel Research Center, was featured in the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) discussing new AI-driven advertising tools introduced at Google Marketing Live. The article looks at Conversational Discovery Ads and Ask Advisor and how tools like these could affect paid search strategy […]
Featured in ANA: Kelly Cutler Discusses Generative Engine Optimization
Kelly Cutler, associate professor and associate director of research at Northwestern University’s Medill Spiegel Research Center, was featured in the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) discussing the rapid shift from traditional search engine optimization (SEO) to generative engine optimization (GEO). The article highlights findings from Spiegel Research Center research showing that while 95% of senior […]
Feature in ANA: AI, Answer Engines, and the Future of B2B Marketing Strategy
AI, Answer Engines, and the Future of B2B Marketing Strategy By Kelly Cutler, Associate Professor of Digital Marketing and Visual Communication at Northwestern University AI answer engines are reshaping how B2B buyers discover and trust brands, as marketers face a shift from clicks to citations. Insights from the ANA B2B Committee explore AI visibility, zero-click […]
Feature in TechRepublic: Google Search Adds More AI Features, Visibility Gets Harder for Publishers
Google Search Adds More AI Features, Visibility Gets Harder for Publishers The rise of AI-powered search is forcing marketers to rethink how they measure visibility and success online. In a recent TechRepublic article, Northwestern University’s Kelly Cutler argues that “traditional SEO must expand to include generative engine optimization (GEO), with a focus on visibility and […]
Feature in WSJ: AI Is Rewriting the Old Rules of Google Search and SEO
AI Is Rewriting the Old Rules of Google Search and SEO By Andrew Blackman Kelly Cutler, associate professor of digital marketing and visual communication at Northwestern University, was featured in a recent Wall Street Journal article on the future of search. Cutler explained how AI is reshaping digital visibility, noting that “This is not the […]
Spiegel Research Center Data Visualizations Earn Top Honors
Spiegel Research Center Data Visualizations Earn Top Honors Two data visualization projects affiliated with the Spiegel Research Center were recognized at the 2026 Big Ten Academic Alliance Data Viz Championship, earning top placements among faculty and staff submissions. State of Integrated Marketing Communication in 2025, created by Sanchary Pal and Paisley Lyn Drzewicki Lucier, received […]
SRC Research Highlights the Role of Trust in a Zero-Click Economy
The Credit Union Advantage in a Zero-Click World In a recent Copacino Fujikado thought leadership piece on navigating the zero-click era, insights from qualitative research conducted by the Spiegel Research Center (SRC) help frame how trust, visibility and decision-making are changing in an AI search environment. The article draws directly from SRC interviews with senior […]
How AI Is Reshaping Digital Marketing
At the ANA MarTech Conference in Chicago, Kelly Cutler, Associate Professor and Associate Director of Research at Northwestern University’s Spiegel Research Center and author of Search Marketing: A Strategic Approach to SEO and SEM, presented “Evolution of Digital in the Era of AI.” During the presentation, Kelly shared an in-depth look at how artificial intelligence […]