House 337 Acquires Conversational AI Consultancy Vixen Labs

Creative collective House 337 has acquired conversational AI agency Vixen Labs as part of a strategic initiative to bolster its expertise in artificial intelligence and broaden its customer experience offer.  

Vixen Labs is recognised as one of the world’s leading full-service conversational AI agencies and has a blue-chip client portfolio that includes Amazon, TuneIn, Verizon, Universal Music Group, Reckitt, McDonald’s and Barilla. 

A specialist in building customer engagement through voice assistants and large language models, Vixen Labs designs, deploys and operates conversational interfaces through platforms such as Alexa and Siri, website chatbots and social apps. The agency also offers experience design, optimising users’ interactions for enhanced usability, accessibility, aesthetics and satisfaction. Vixen seeks to create user-centric and memorable conversational experiences between brands and their customers. 

Vixen Labs is also the pioneer of the leading AI Consumer Index report, the 2023 edition of which shows that a third of UK and US consumers are already using conversational AI tools on a weekly basis. 

HOW WILL IT FIT INTO HOUSE 337?

Co-founded in 2018 by James Poulter, an innovation strategist who previously worked at The LEGO Group and Edelman, and voice experience and brand innovation expert Jen Heape, previously of agencies such as AKQA and Framestore, Vixen Labs has teams based in the UK, Germany and the US. 

Vixen Labs will initially operate as a separate brand within House 337 reporting into James Thornett, executive director customer experience. Vixen Labs will sit within the Design, Data and Technology capability group under James Thornett. 

All current and future Vixen Labs clients will automatically be assessed against the House 337 ethical AI positioning.

Phil Fearnley, group chief executive officer at House 337, said, “Vixen Labs is a fantastic addition to the House 337 collective and one that deepens our AI offer and expands the horizons of customer experience. Our clients will win big from this deal, as we build and share knowledge of conversational AI and its indispensable role in creating long term relationships between businesses and customers.”

James Poulter, CEO of Vixen Labs, said, “Joining House 337, one of the UK’s foremost creative agencies, gives Vixen Labs a fantastic opportunity to continue our ground-breaking conversational AI work and help more great brands build the next generation of customer experiences.” 

Jen Heape, COO of Vixen Labs said, “We’re thrilled by this opportunity to pair our expertise with a like-minded organisation, which helps us expand into new areas and boost our international presence.”