Spiegel On Sports: How to Leverage Social Connection for Sports Fandom
New research from Northwestern University’s Spiegel Research Center explores how social connection shapes sports fandom and what teams, leagues and marketers can learn from it. October 1, 2026 Spiegel On Sports: How to Leverage Social Connection for Sports Fandom is a research report from Northwestern University’s Spiegel Research Center. The report brings together six studies […]
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 […]
Creator Marketing 2026: Wave 4
A Survey of Marketing Professionals Who Use Creator Marketing: Full Findings Report By Frank Dudley, Professor and Associate Director, Retail Analytics Council, and Frank Mulhern, Ph.D., Professor, former Associate Dean and Director, Retail Analytics Council. The Retail Analytics Council is part of the Medill Spiegel Research Center at the Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated […]
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 […]
More Than Notebooks and Backpacks
By Melissa Nelson, Marketing and Communications, Retail Analytics Council, Northwestern University Findings from research conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics, in cooperation with the National Retail Federation, show that back-to-school shopping goes beyond traditional notebooks and backpacks. Back-to-school and back-to-college shopping remain two of the largest seasonal retail events of the year, with 42.4% of […]
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 […]
What the Fourth of July Helps Marketers Understand about Tradition, Not Transactions
By Melissa Nelson, Marketing and Communications, Retail Analytics Council, Northwestern University Every holiday offers marketers an opportunity to better understand holiday consumer behavior. This year’s Fourth of July findings reveal insights that extend well beyond a single celebration and into the next retail season. People don’t gather because they shop. They shop because they gather. […]
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 […]
Father’s Day Spending as Consumers Seek More Meaningful Ways to Celebrate
Executive Summary Based on a survey of 7,914 consumers conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics in cooperation with the National Retail Federation, Father’s Day remains one of America’s most celebrated holidays, with spending and participation continuing to grow. 76.8% of Americans plan to celebrate Father’s Day in 2026, making it the nation’s sixth most popular […]
Taking SRC Research Global: Sanchary Pal Presents at ICA 2026
The Medill Spiegel Research Center’s work on streaming and audience behavior took the international stage this month as Sanchary Pal, Research Associate, presented “Watching Together: Uncovering the Value of Co-viewing in Streaming” at the International Communication Association’s 2026 conference in Cape Town. The research was co-authored with Larry DeGaris, Executive Director, Medill Spiegel Research Center, […]