Wirtschaftsforum: Mr. Stelzer, how did the story of BRANDAD Group AG begin?

Joachim Stelzer: After my computer science studies and initial experiences in automation technology, I was drawn to e-commerce at the end of the 1990s to be part of the startup hype. After the dot-com bubble burst, we conducted a management buyout in 2003 and founded BRANDAD Systems to continue the predecessor company's business and still offer ASP solutions. As pioneers in this field, we started with advertisements for daily newspapers and later expanded our services to include all types of advertising materials. This even convinced skeptical companies that still had reservations about centralized systems. In 2022, BRANDAD Systems became the corporate group BRANDAD GROUP AG, which owns two subsidiaries: BRANDAD Solutions GmbH and BRANDAD Development GmbH. BRANDAD Solutions sells the marketing portal Brand Base, while BRANDAD Development offers 'Teams as a Service' as a service, supporting customers in their development projects. This has proven to be extremely successful.

Wirtschaftsforum: What role does the communication of values and visions play in your company?

Joachim Stelzer: Our Corporate Storyteller Jürgen Krauß plays an important role: communicating the values and visions of the BRANDAD Group AG clearly and authentically both internally and externally. His focus on human-centered content strengthens the emotional connection to customers and underlines the identification with our solutions. A key part of this strategy are events such as the BRANDAD Convention, which bring teams and customers together and promote exchanges on current topics.

Wirtschaftsforum: What current challenges is your company facing in the market?

Joachim Stelzer: The change in sales structures poses significant challenges. Many car dealers who used to be independent entrepreneurs are increasingly switching to agency models, which requires new approaches to process optimization and regionalizability. At the same time, digitalization and AI are driving the entire industry forward. Our customers expect data protection-compliant AI solutions, which is why we develop our own instances that guarantee safe and internal corporate data processing. In addition, our solutions must be precisely tailored to the regional needs of the customers without compromising on corporate design.

Wirtschaftsforum: What distinguishes your products and services?

Joachim Stelzer: Our cloud-based marketing portals were one of the first solutions of this kind. They cover the entire spectrum and offer extensive customization options, without restrictions on corporate design guidelines. In addition, we offer 'Teams as a Service' – a service where customers receive ready-to-use teams for their projects. The special feature is that these teams work closely with our customers and are directly integrated into their processes. Security and availability are our top priorities: All data is hosted in German data centers, and the entire infrastructure is in our hands.

Wirtschaftsforum: What measures do you take to promote your employees and how does your corporate culture shape the work environment?

Joachim Stelzer: Self-organized teams that work independently and have direct market contact are our focus. Our philosophy is to give employees the greatest possible freedom in their work. The motto 'We stay better' shapes our culture, in which learning is a central component. Since the introduction of SCRUM in 2009, we have been using agile methods that are deeply integrated into our work practices. With a variety of continuing education opportunities – from open source projects to conferences – we continuously promote the development of our employees. Thanks to our flexible remote work structure, with 80 to 90% of our workforce working from home, we create optimal conditions for individual work and a balanced work-life balance.

Wirtschaftsforum: What are your plans and visions for the future of BRANDAD?

Joachim Stelzer: Our goal is to remain a resilient market leader by actively promoting diversification and innovation. Particularly in the field of AI and digital solutions, we plan to expand our portfolio further. At the same time, we continue to focus on promoting our employees. A key role is played by our vision to anchor systematic learning in our culture through a Chief Learning Officer concept. Regular events also promote exchange and strengthen team spirit. We focus on being sustainable, innovative, and forward-looking in order to consistently strengthen our market position in the DACH region.