Facebook launches expat targeting feature

Marketers can now connect with expats living within a given country. There are the 92 million expats on Facebook

BestMediaInfo Bureau | Delhi | March 19, 2015

People living abroad use Facebook to connect with friends and family back home, sharing key life milestones and everyday moments alike. And expats aren't just using Facebook to keep in touch with people. Brands, organizations, celebrities and news outlets also offer a vital connection to home. To help businesses reach people living abroad, Facebook yesterday announced a new targeting feature that enables advertisers to reach the 92 million expats on Facebook.

Marketers can now connect with expats living within a given country (like expats living in Brazil) and expats originating from a specific country (like people born in Brazil living abroad). Nationality-specific targeting is currently available for people from Brazil, Indonesia, China, South Africa and India.

Etihad Airways became the first brand in the world to use Facebook's expat targeting solution as part of its Diwali campaign, resulting in highly relevant ads that delivered incredible return on investment. Diwali is a festival to be celebrated with family and friends. Using expat targeting, Eithad connected with expats with messages about traveling home for the holiday, reaching 536,000 Indian expats living in the Middle East, leading to 700 bookings and a 50X return on investment.

“People expect communication to be personal, relevant and mobile. With Facebook's expat targeting, we were able to speak to a highly relevant audience and deliver them something that was truly valuable in real time. That's the secret to a great campaign,” said Andrew Ward, VP of Marketing, Etihad Airways.

Like all Facebook products, this new targeting capability is built in a privacy-protective way. Facebook does not share information with advertisers on who a person is.

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