The MADness Podcast

From entertainment and e-commerce to the fiercely competitive world of international education, Eugine Oh has taken anything but a conventional career path.

The Chief Admissions Officer at Epsom College in Malaysia joins James and Nik to explore how her global marketing experience, and becoming a mother, have transformed her approach to attracting and engaging families.

We discuss the challenge of differentiating schools in crowded markets, taking admissions campaigns across international borders, and how 170 years of British educational heritage is helping drive Epsom's ambitious expansion into Japan.

Plus, why Eugine believes the most effective admissions strategies start with understanding parents, not selling schools.

Are virtual tours now an essential part of the international school admissions journey?

In this MADLabz episode, James and Nik are joined by Lisa Franzino from Circlescapes to explore how schools can use virtual tours to engage prospective families and turn online interest into admissions opportunities.

From immersive 360-degree experiences and AI-powered personalisation to simple, budget-friendly solutions, Lisa shares practical advice on creating tours that showcase more than classrooms and facilities.

PLus...discover three actionable tips to help your school make the most of virtual tours, whatever your budget.

In this episode of The MADness Podcast, we’re joined by Rickert Marais, Director of Marketing and Admissions at Stamford American School Hong Kong.

From shifting demographics and changing parent expectations to standing out in a crowded market, Rickert shares what's driving Stamford's success.

We explore differentiation, sustainable growth and why the school experience matters as much as the marketing.

Plus, we discover Rickert's side hustle as a board games master and his passion for the art of Unreasonable Hospitality.

Hong Kong's international school market is so competitive that families who "spray and pray" their own applications usually fail, and increasingly turn to consultants after the fact.

In this MAD LABZ episode of the Madness Podcast, Nik sits down with Stefan Tueger, Executive Director at Lion Rock Education in Hong Kong ,a former school marketing and admissions director, who crossed over to found his own education consultancy after growing frustrated with how little most agents and consultants actually understood the families they were placing.

Stefan draws a clear line between the two often-confused roles: consultants work for the family, digging deep into a child's character and a household's fit before recommending schools - sometimes steering parents away from the "obvious" popular choices entirely - while agents work for the schools that pay them, prioritising placement speed over depth of research. He unpacks why Hong Kong has become a genuine outlier globally for day-school consultancy demand, with waitlists stretching years, tough interview gauntlets, and a market that runs on relationships and transparency rather than who you know on the board.

The conversation turns practical with Stefan's top tips for schools looking to get more out of their agent and consultant networks: reply fast, since families often need a place immediately; be proactive about sharing changes (new principals, opening classes, spare year-group spots); treat trusted consultants as an honest feedback channel into what parents really think; and arm partners with the unglamorous but decisive details, like school bus routes, that can make or break a family's decision. A useful listen for admissions and marketing teams weighing whether, and how, to lean more on external referral networks, plus a candid look at why some agencies get rejected wholesale and what separates a partner worth working with from one that isn't.

Most schools are still optimising for Google. Anna Iveson is already ranking on ChatGPT. In this MADness Podcast episode, James and Nik chat to Anna Iveson (Director of Marketing and Admissions at Rugby School Japan) - a former Citigroup graduate trainee turned self-taught digital marketer who came into education from the outside and immediately spotted the problem: inward-looking messaging, and leads quietly disappearing into the ether with no follow-up at all.

Anna shares how RSJ grew its email list from 1,200 to around 11,000 in two years, why she treats admissions as a genuine sales function - including hiring a tour lead trained to handle objections and read the question under the question - and how a school that only opened in 2023 has carved out a position in one of Asia's most competitive markets. She's also refreshingly candid about AI search, explaining how RSJ went from zero to nearly 3% of applications arriving via AI referrals by reverse-engineering the questions parents actually type into ChatGPT.

A perfect listen for admissions teams, marketers, and school leaders who know AI search is coming for their SEO strategy and want a practical head start - plus Anna's take on why PR matters more in schools than anywhere else she's worked, and the gap in the market she'd leave it all behind for.

One in four parents who enquire with a school never get a reply - and the schools have no idea it's happening. In this MAD LABZ episode, James and Nik chat to Carly Puncher from Edified about her research into the parent enquiry experience, and why the moment a family reaches out is the moment most schools quietly lose them.

Drawing on the first year of the Enquiry Experience Tracker, in which real parents enquired with 56 international schools and scored what came back, Carly unpacks what actually keeps families engaged: warmth over speed, asking questions instead of just answering them, taking the time to respond to everything they asked, and following up properly. Fast responses don't win parents. Human ones do.

A perfect listen for admissions teams, marketers, and school leaders who want to turn inquiries into conversations - with small, practical changes you can make before the next enquiry lands.

Most schools are leaving high-value leads on the table in paid social - and don't know it. In this MAD LABZ episode, James and Nik chat to digital marketing expert Kerwyn Salmons from 15th Media as he breaks down the three costliest mistakes schools make with paid campaigns: bland ad copy, misunderstood retargeting, and over-trusting AI ad enhancements without oversight.

Drawing on work with schools across the UK, Malaysia, and the US, Kerwyn shares what actually moves the needle: tailored messaging for each stage of the parent decision journey, smarter use of first-party data, testing new channels, and building personalised funnels that turn clicks into enrolments.

A perfect listen for admissions teams, marketers, and school leaders ready to sharpen their digital game - with practical, low-lift tips you can put to work this week.

Matt Hall, Director of Marketing and Admissions @ Nexus International School (Singapore), chats to James and Nik about: How changing EP thresholds, living costs, and and expat packages are impacting demand for international school places in Singapore; How Matt and his team launched a 'transfer window' campaign, ft. Nexus footie shirts; Why pies create a unique culture nexus (see what we did there!) between the UK <> New Zealand.