From the spirit of optimism to viral growth

was born in Frankfurt am Main in Germany. He graduated from the Wissenschaftliche Hochschule für Unternehmensführung. For seven years he was Managing Director of the ITService CompuNet in Berlin, until he was drawn to London, where he took up the position of Managing Director at GE Capital IT Solutions. Another port of call was Australia, where he served as a consultant for internationalization and digital projects in Sydney. Before joining Doodle in Zurich, he built up a shopping club for wines in the e-commerce sector in Munich.MK Mr. Brecht, you have been Managing Director of Doodle AG since February 1. What is your first impression?MICHAEL BRECHT I am totally enthusiastic. My decision to come to Doodle was initially influenced from the outside. I perceived the strong growth, as well as the internationally oriented portfolio in terms of customers and product performance. All of this has now been confirmed. In addition, I found a very strong team. We want to build on this team as we move forward.MK What does the change in leadership mean for the company?BRECHT For the users, nothing changes for the time being. They continue to use a first-class product. For the team, however, it's a bit of a break. After all, a change in leadership also means change. But the end of one phase is also the beginning of a new one. And with this new beginning, we want to create a spirit of optimism - especially because we are aiming for international growth.MK What role does Tamedia play in this?BRECHT On the one hand, Tamedia has seen that there is a very big internationalization opportunity in Doodle. On the other hand, Doodle has recognized that it needs a strong media partner like Tamedia to take it into the next phase. Tamedia sees Doodle as an important part of its portfolio, and further international growth of Doodle is being actively supported.MK What are your plans and goals for Doodle?BRECHT Besides the classic offer, such as finding appointments, we also offer the BookMe theme. This is a B2B solution for organizing customer appointments. We want to expand BookMe as well as the mobile version very strongly. As mentioned, international growth is the big goal. We want to establish ourselves primarily in the German and English-speaking regions. But we also see opportunities in the Spanish and French-speaking regions.MK In five years, Doodle has increased its user numbers tenfold. Why do so many people need Doodle?BRECHT Doodle has grown very much virally. When a poll is created, users are often invited who have never heard of Doodle. This means that even if you don't know Doodle, participants will recognize the practical use of the tool from the poll. This viral growth will certainly continue to develop in the coming years because this tool is so pragmatic. Because it can be used on both the private and the business side.MK Which forms of advertising are particularly in demand?BRECHT We essentially use large-format ads that are very much part of our branding. One core element of our offering is the branding ad. Our customers use these ads for sales promotion and other purposes. Another format that is in high demand is the calendar ad, which is appointment-based advertising.MK Why does it make sense for a company to advertise on Doodle?BRECHT Our users are a very advertising-savvy group. We have to deal with a high level of involvement on the part of our customers. At the same time, we can make a very concrete offer through our formats. In the area of food, parties and events, it's an ideal match for the target group. So we have a very precise hit efficiency.INTERVIEW: MELANIE GRANADOS