Global iPlayer Matilda Douridas expat
Matilda explains how the Global iPlayer service is a constantly expanding service, with new material being uploaded on a daily basis.

The BBC’s popular online catch-up service, BBC iPlayer, has continued to grow. It now encompasses several countries outside the UK. The product is clearly aimed predominantly at the British expat market, but local viewers can benefit too.

Expat Marketing has been speaking to Matilda Douridas, marketing manager at the BBC, to learn more about the expanding service.

Matilda, what criteria were you looking at when choosing the countries in which to launch the iPlayer service? Continue reading

"We are up to date and communicate interactively with our younger target audience," Marco Dilenge

Social media, younger expats and an trend toward more individual buying power are a challenge for many relocation agencies. Marco Dilenge, regional marketing manager at Crown Worldwide Group, explains how their company targets young expats and what differs between European expatriates and Americans.

Marco, who contacts the relocation agency, companies or individual expats?

It depends. In the US for example, we are seeing an increasing trend in which individual expatriates will contact the relocation agency directly with a fixed budget provided by their company. Some companies have fixed contracts with our agency, so for every relocation process, the relocation manager will contact us, especially if the company is relocating more than a single employee. Continue reading

Expat demographics are at a turning point
Expat populations must hit a critical mass before local media appears, says Stuart Smith, Managing Director of Max Media International.

In recent years expats have been moving abroad for different reasons (and under different financial circumstances) than they have traditionally. Many are migrating to escape economic hardship rather than retire in the sun, for example.

Stuart Smith, Managing Director of Max Media International, talks about how this demographic shift impacts media planners, and offers some media planning tips.

international education is necessary for expats with children
There is a booming market for international schools, according to Nicholas Brummitt, Managing Director of ISC Research.

More parents than ever before are looking to send their kids to international schools. Hence enrollment numbers and fee income will rise hand-in-hand over the next few years.

Nicholas Brummitt, Managing Director of ISC Worldwide, says this is the result of  increased demand not only from expat families, but also wealthy locals looking to ensure their kids get the best possible education.

He talks to Expat Marketing about how schools and countries are preparing for this growth, as well as what it’s worth. Continue reading

Overly complex products have turned consumers off to travel insurance, says Adrian Shaw, Medical Insurance Director at AAIB and founder of Expat Compare.

Millions of expats around the globe travel home for the holidays. But only a fraction purchase international travel or medical insurance. This is a both a major liability for expats (who could face huge medical bills in an emergency) and a missed opportunity for international insurers.

Adrian Shaw, founder of the insurance aggregator Expat Compare, explains the lack of consumer awareness and what insurers can do to tap the market’s potential. Continue reading

Stuart Dixon is Program Director at Euro*MBA., ranked the #3 online business program in the world in 2010.

Many business programs suffer from a lack of international recognition, says Dr. Stuart Dixon, Program Director at Euro*MBA (which The Economist ranked as the world’s #3 online business school in 2010). Top national programs therefore fail to appear on expats’ radars.

Dixon talks to Expat Marketing about how business schools can use online learning to target up-and-coming expat professionals. Continue reading

Alison Massey has built a new expat health insurance brand within a year.

How much expert knowledge do you need as an expat marketer?

Alison Massey has worked for Aetna, Goodhealth, Abbey and other major expat brands. As Marketing and E-commerce Director at Now Health International, she launched a new expat health insurance brand in January 2011.

In an interview with Expat Marketing, Alison explains what it meant to build a team of 50 people within a year – and how NowHealth wants to change the expat insurance market in the future. Continue reading

Niklas Nikolaidis thinks that ethnic marketing will become more relevant

Niklas Nikolaidis from Joinville runs a European network for ethnic marketing with more than 40 million unique visitors. Expat Marketing asked him how companies can target migrants online, and how the industry has evolved in the last decade.

In the US, ethnic marketing has been a major marketing topic for years. In Europe, only few companies run ethnic campaigns. How come?

That’s a very good question. In the US, there are big homogeneous ethnic markets like the Latin Americans with significant spending potential, and companies have noticed this. For example, migrants make up on third of of the market for fixed telephony, or an estimated 86 billion US dollars. Continue reading

Lukas Ritzel has spent more than 15 years helping companies coordinate media projects. He also lectures on media at IMI University Centre and other schools.

Young expat professionals do not respond to traditional campaigns. They’re not interested in photos of dressed up models  or sanitized PR speak.  What they crave for is authenticity, says Lukas Ritzel, Marketing & Web Strategist at Switzerland’s IMI University Centre–and they’re looking for it on social media sites. In an interview with Expat Marketing, Lukas explains why traditional marketing managers are struggling to cope. Continue reading

Adel Nabhan, Marketing, Communication and Strategy Director at BNP Paribas Personal Investors

BNP Paribas launched a new expat banking brand in 2010, “The Bank for Expats”. Expat Marketing talked to Adel Nabhan, Marketing, Communication and Strategy Director at BNP Paribas Personal Investors (formerly Cortal Consors Luxembourg), about lessons from the campaign and his plans for the coming months.

Adel, you had been working with expats through BNP Paribas for years. Why did you launch a new expat brand last year? Continue reading