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 […]
Updated Report: The State of IMC 2025 – How Integration Is Reshaping the Future of Marketing
Executive Summary The Spiegel Research Center conducted a nationwide survey of 161 experienced marketing professionals to uncover the most pressing challenges and trends in Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC). The findings reveal a marketing landscape in transition, where rising quality expectations collide with increasing operational complexity. The Generalist Reality Modern marketers function as tactical generalists rather […]
P2Pi Feature: Why Retail Media Measurement Is Lagging
Research Reveals Why Retail Media Measurement Is Lagging Expectations By Michael Applebaum January 5, 2026 Retail media is maturing faster than the systems used to measure it. New research examines why attribution alone isn’t enough — and how brands can rethink measurement to unlock true incremental value. As retail media matures, expectations around performance are rising faster […]
Americans Feel the Holiday Spending Squeeze
Executive Summary The latest Prosper Insights & Technologies survey paints a clear picture of how Americans are feeling—and spending—as they head into the holiday season. While some demographic groups show resilience, overall financial sentiment remains cautious, shaped heavily by inflation, tariffs, and uncertainty about the broader economy. Key findings include Only 22% of consumers feel […]
How Online Reviews Influence Sales
Evidence of the Power of Online Reviews to Shape Customer Behavior
Feature: As AI Eats Web Traffic, Don’t Panic—Evolve
As AI Eats Web Traffic, Don’t Panic—Evolve An SEO expert offers three tips for adapting to “zero click” searches and chatbots. Based on insights from Kelly Cutler, an associate professor at the Medill School of Journalism and lecturer in the Kellogg Executive Education program, December 1, 2025 For many websites, 2025 has been a rude […]
SRC partner: New Black Friday with Less Impulse, More Intention
Congratulations Black Friday You’ve come a long way since your name was coined 50 years ago. You’re growing up. Your adorable children—Cyber Monday, Small Business Saturday, and Giving Tuesday—are carving out their own identities and becoming part of culture. You’re not as volatile; we’ve seen fewer doorbuster dustups make the national news in recent years. You’re less frenzied; your […]
Google AI Overviews Decoded
At the Spiegel Research Center, we collaborate with faculty, organizations, and students on advertising research projects. One of the ways we engage students is through the Spiegel Scholars Program, where they collect and analyze real-world data, develop recommendations for marketing managers, and identify opportunities for future research at the Spiegel Research Center. This summer, the […]
How Generative AI Is Transforming Modern Marketing
In a recent presentation titled Transforming Marketing With Generative AI: A Research-Based Approach, Kelly Cutler, Associate Professor of Marketing and Communication at Northwestern University, explored how generative AI is reshaping the marketing landscape and what organizations must do to adapt. She begins by noting that most marketers feel excited about AI, but many lack the […]