Case 03 · 2018
Mercado Labs
Building the marketing engine behind a more transparent global supply chain.
01 — The brief
A supply chain platform with a mission — and a market that didn't yet exist.
Mercado Labs helped retailers and brands bring greater transparency, accountability and visibility to the way they sourced products across complex global supply chains. The platform sat at the intersection of technology, retail operations and ESG — helping businesses vet suppliers, monitor compliance and respond to mounting expectations around ethical sourcing, anti-slavery legislation and sustainability disclosure.
Studio Nine partnered with Mercado Labs for six years, from earliest-stage startup through to acquisition. Studio Nine founder Simon Lodge operated as the company's de facto Chief Marketing Officer, sitting within the executive leadership team and reporting directly to the CEO.
02 — The challenge
Sell technology. Lead an emerging category. Earn trust at enterprise scale.
Mercado Labs operated in a category that was still being formed — supply chain transparency was rapidly becoming a board-level concern, but most retailers and brands didn't yet have a vocabulary, a budget line or an internal owner for it. The company had to educate the market, build category credibility and convert enterprise buyers — all at the same time.
On top of that, the work spanned multiple growth stages, with the marketing function evolving alongside the business through pre-seed, seed and Series A.
03 — Our role
Embedded marketing leadership across six years and three funding stages.
Studio Nine didn't operate as a typical agency. We owned the marketing function end-to-end — from positioning and brand strategy through to day-to-day execution, demand generation, content, web and sales enablement. That model meant Mercado Labs could move at the speed of a venture-backed startup without needing to build, manage and re-build an in-house team at every stage.
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01
Embedded CMO leadership
Simon Lodge sat within the executive team as de facto CMO, partnering with the CEO on strategy, growth and the marketing operating model across pre-seed, seed and Series A.
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02
Brand & positioning foundations
Defined the strategic positioning, messaging architecture, narrative and visual identity that established Mercado Labs as a credible, modern voice in global supply chain technology.
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03
End-to-end marketing ownership
Operated the full marketing function — website, comms, campaigns, lead and demand generation, content, sales enablement, brand and marketing operations.
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04
ESG & ethical sourcing narrative
Helped translate the company's mission into a commercial story — connecting supply chain transparency, anti-slavery compliance and sustainability accountability to enterprise pain points and budgets.
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05
Demand generation engine
Built and ran the multi-channel demand engine — funnel design, campaign development, sales enablement and content-driven awareness within a relationship-led enterprise category.
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06
Growth through funding stages
Evolved the marketing infrastructure, brand and narrative through three growth stages — supporting investor conversations and enterprise positioning at each step.
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07
A successful exit
The engagement concluded with Mercado Labs' acquisition by CargoWise in 2024 — the platform joining a larger global logistics technology ecosystem for its next phase of growth.
Impact
Six years. Three growth stages. One successful exit.
"Studio Nine didn't feel like an agency — they were our marketing team. Simon led marketing strategy at the executive level from day one to acquisition."CEO Mercado Labs (2018–2024)
Studio Nine team
- Marcus, Studio Nine — Account Direction
- Simon, Studio Nine — Embedded CMO & Strategy
- Priya, Studio Nine — Brand & Design
- Eli, Studio Nine — Web & Digital
- Chiara, Studio Nine — Demand Generation
- Naomi, Studio Nine — Content & Comms
Disciplines
- Embedded CMO Leadership
- Brand Strategy & Identity
- Demand & Lead Generation
- Website Strategy & Build
- Content & Comms
- Sales Enablement
- ESG Narrative Strategy
Status
- Engagement: 2018 — 2024
- Outcome: Acquired by CargoWise (2024)
- Sector: Supply chain technology / ESG
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