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.

James and Nik are joined by Paul Chapman from Noodle photography, as they discuss what makes a winning school photo & video, being 'brave' when taking pictures, and tips to improve the way you capture images around your campus. If you know you need to level up your school's imagery then this one is for you.