From Pinterest to TikTok: Where Halloween Shoppers Really Get Their Ideas in 2025
Executive Summary Halloween remains one of America’s most celebrated and commercially influential holidays—blending tradition, creativity, and commerce. Insights from the September 2025 Prosper Insights and Analytics survey (n = 8,045) reveal that while celebration rates remain steady, the way and where consumers draw inspiration and make purchases are evolving. 5% of U.S. adults plan to […]
Insights from the 2025 Tech Summit
Session Summary — Tech Summit Oct. 9, 2025 New York City, NY Transforming Marketing With Generative AI Presented by Kelly Cutler, Professor and Associate Director of Research, Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications, Northwestern University This session examined the evolving digital marketing ecosystem, including the impact of large language models and how they […]
Partnership with Copacino Fujikado to Advance Data-Driven Marketing
A first-of-its-kind partnership has been announced between Northwestern University’s Medill Spiegel Research Center (SRC) and Seattle-based independent creative and media agency Copacino Fujikado, as reported by MediaPost. Recognized nationally by Ad Age as one of the best small agencies in the country, Copacino Fujikado brings 27 years of creative expertise and experience working with hundreds […]
ANA Feature: AI and Small Business Marketing
SMBs Ratchet Up Their Social Media Presence Small- and medium-sized businesses are starting to leverage AI to close the content creation gap By Dominick Fils-Aimé October 1, 2025 In ancient times, say 2010, social media was mainly considered the domain of large, consumer-facing companies with ample marketing budgets. However, in the last decade, social media […]
Northwestern Featured in ANA Article on How In-House Agencies Use AI
The Association of National Advertisers (ANA) highlighted Northwestern University’s Spiegel Research Center in its feature “How Are In-House Agencies Utilizing AI Tools?” The article includes insights from Kelly Cutler, associate professor at Northwestern, who shared research-driven guidance on how marketing teams can effectively integrate artificial intelligence. Drawing from Northwestern’s study “Northwestern Study Finds Enthusiasm, Gaps […]
ANA Feature: Northwestern Research Explores Generative AI’s Role in Marketing Teams
The Association of National Advertisers (ANA) recently featured Northwestern University’s research on how marketing teams are integrating generative AI. The article, “Northwestern Study Finds Enthusiasm, Gaps in Gen AI Use,” highlights insights from the university’s empirical research—conducted through surveys, interviews, and case studies within the Spiegel Research Center—revealing both the opportunities and challenges marketers face […]
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 […]