Strategic Shopping: Why Americans Start Early but Spend Less
Executive Summary The 2025 holiday season reflects a growing tension between enthusiasm and economic restraint. Data from the October 2025 Prosper Insights & Analytics survey, conducted in partnership with the National Retail Federation (NRF), shows that while 92.8% of adults plan to celebrate the winter holidays, shoppers are changing how and when they buy. Consumers […]
Retail Media Networks and Creator Marketing in the Digital Marketing Ecosystem
Executive Summary Digital Marketing has become a mainstay in modern marketing, commanding significant budgetary allocation. Within this dynamic landscape, Retail Media Networks (RMNs) and Influencer Marketing Platforms (IMPs/ Creator Marketing Platforms) have emerged as two of the fastest-growing components of digital marketing. However, despite their potential, brands are facing significant friction in effectively leveraging these […]
Insights From P2PI LIVE & Expo: Shopper Emotion
At the Path to Purchase Institute’s P2PI LIVE & Expo, new research highlighted how deeply emotion shapes today’s shopping experience—and what that means for brands and retailers. The findings show that retailers perform very differently when it comes to both emotional impact and ease of shopping, pointing to opportunities to borrow best practices across channels, […]
ANA Feature: GEO Is the New SEO
GEO Is the New SEO Generative engine optimization — or how to supply content that will capture AI bots’ attention — is gaining ground By Chuck Kapelke October 29, 2025 sk ChatGPT for its opinion on the best search engine optimization (SEO) agency for the cybersecurity industry, and one name consistently shows up near the […]
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 […]