MindgruveMacarta Making Moves to the Midwest

SAN DIEGO – Newly minted company MindgruveMacarta is expanding again.
The company that until earlier this year was two separate entities in Mindgruve and Macarta has merged with Midwest independent commerce agency leader Icon Commerce.

MindgruveMacarta, a leader in the performance marketing, retail media and advanced analytics spaces, is adding Cincinnati-based Icon Commerce’s strategy, creative and marketing service offerings designed to grow retailers and Direct to Consumer clients.

“It was clear from the beginning that our companies aligned culturally and shared a common vision of investing in the best and brightest people,” said Icon Commerce founder and CEO Shawn Murdock, who will continue as its CEO.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

MindgruveMacarta and Icon Commerce will bring together industry expertise in consumer, CPG, B2B, healthcare, financial services, and technology sectors, as well as deep platform experience in Google, Meta, LinkedIn, Amazon, Walmart and Mercado Libre.

Historically Mindgruve excels in performance marketing and D2C ecommerce, specializing in healthcare, finance, B2B and data technology, while Macarta has been an industry leader in retail media and marketplaces, providing specialized services that optimize its clients’ presence on their platforms.

Mindgruve saw 73% revenue growth over the last two years and 192% employee growth, and MindgruveMacarta CEO Chad Robley said Mindgruve has had a 30% CAGR over the last 14 years, and that the now-combined company is “on pace to do it this year and next year, so more of the same,” he said.

“We’re one of the fastest growing agencies out there and there’s a reason why we’re growing at such a high rate compared to the rest of the industry,” Robley said. “It’s really based around the basic, kind of simple concept of helping brands grow their revenue.”

More on Icon Commerce

Icon Commerce was founded as Icon Marketing Communications in 1997 and is a leader in omnichannel marketing, delivering success for brands in retail, DTC and commerce channels for clients like Deckorators, Tempur Sealy, John B. Sanfilippo & Sons, Inc., and Unilever.

Icon recently expanded its capabilities by acquiring eCommerce agencies Marketplace Clicks and Spaceshop Commerce, adding certified Amazon, Shopify and Adobe Commerce expertise to its integrated service offerings.

With more than 300 employees across eight global offices, the combined agency will serve a diverse client base including Procter & Gamble, Colgate-Palmolive, Dupont, Sony, Mattel, 3M and Wrangler.

“They work with great brands and it’s just a perfect sort of fit for us, both from a geographic perspective and in terms of the kind of brands they work with today,” Robley said.

Solidifying Marketing Solutions

The move further solidifies MindgruveMacarta’s commitment to delivering innovative, data-driven marketing solutions while expanding its expertise across in-store retail, marketplace and direct-to-consumer commerce.

Robley said that Icon Commerce’s “physical in-store retail marketing experience combined with their DTC and marketplace expertise further strengthens our enterprise omnichannel commerce capability for clients worldwide.”

Icon Commerce’s Cincinnati headquarters will help MindgruveMacarta strategically position itself to grow its Midwest footprint.

“We’re excited about what their depth and breadth and retail media brings to the table,” MindgruveMacarta President Mike Hodges said. “With Icon Commerce this was an opportunity to really expand our suite of services when it comes to retail media and marketplaces which is obviously where the future is heading with marketing. I think in terms of our growth whether it be through partnership or acquisition, we’ll continue to grow on our performance marketing side. And where there’s opportunities around the globe, we’re looking at more acquisitions when it comes to retail media and marketplaces.”

Other Moves, Kudos in 2024

Earlier this year, San Diego’s Mindgruve, which began in 2001 as a two-person shop and became one of the top global digital agencies in the country with more than 175 employees, merged with Denver’s Macarta, a top industry player in retail media and the eCommerce marketplace since 2016.

Previous to its collaboration with Macarta, growth for Mindgruve was steady.
For the second straight year the company was included in Financial Times’ most recent list of the 500 fastest growing companies across North, Central and South America. Mindgruve has been an Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing company for six consecutive years. (Macarta has been on the list for the last three years.)

Mindgruve was also the seventh-fastest growing medium-sized company in San Diego as ranked by the San Diego Business Journal in The Book of Lists 2024. It brought in $28.6 million in revenues in 2020, $55.3 million in 2021 and $83.3 million in 2022.

In mid-September, MindgruveMacarta was named a finalist in the Lead Generation category at the 2024 Google Agency Excellence Awards. This recognition places MindgruveMacarta among the leading digital agencies in North America.

MindgruveMacarta
FOUNDED: 2024 (2001 for Mindgruve, 2016 for Macarta)
CEO: Chad Robley
PRESIDENT: Mike Hodges
HEADQUARTERS: San Diego
BUSINESS: Global performance marketing
GROWTH: Mindgruve (previous to joining with Macarta earlier in 2024) has seen 73% revenue growth last two years and 192% employee growth
EMPLOYEES: 300+
WEBSITE: mindgruvemacarta.com
CONTACT: hello@mindgruvemacarta.com
SOCIAL IMPACT: Mindgruve has been a San Diego Business Journal “Best Place to Work” for several years
NOTABLE: Robley and Hodges are also part of local accelerator Mindgruve Ventures