Ais London and Arnold KLP have announced that the two Havas-owned businesses are to merge to form a new agency called Field Day.

The business has been created to address a growing client need for customer-first strategy. Part of the Havas Media Group, Field Day combines Ais’ heritage in customer communications and ‘owned’ media and Arnold KLP’s brand and shopper expertise with ‘in house’ media intelligence.

Managing director, Liz Barnsdale, executive strategy director, Sarah Stratford, and executive creative director, Geoff Gower, will continue to lead the business. They will be supported by a management board of senior representatives from both the AKLP and Ais teams including Kevin Bratley, Gillian Arthur, Jonathan Moore, Andrew Watkinson and Jane Evans.

Discussing the creation of the new agency, Liz Barnsdale, managing director at Field Day, comments, “The way people buy has changed and our new proposition is designed to respond to this new environment and help CMOs navigate an increasingly complex landscape to deliver value back to the business.”

Paul Frampton, CEO of Havas Media Group UK & Ireland, says, “Field Day will bring customer-centricity to the heart of Havas Media Group. Combining their expertise in owned data, with the group’s media planning talent, and Havas SE Cake’s content and experiential capabilities, Field Day will enable client teams to create a more seamless and unified brand experience across the entire customer journey.”

He continues, “This merging of skillsets is the realisation of our vision to bring data and content together to deliver marketing communications that are truly customer-led.”