Targeting MREs (Moroccans living abroad): advertising to the Moroccan diaspora

They live in Paris, Madrid, Brussels, Milan or Montreal, and they also buy in Morocco: an apartment, a bank account, a ticket, a car, a wedding. Moroccans living abroad (MRE) are a market of their own, with their own calendar, languages and doubts. Here's how to reach them with ads, and above all how to turn a click from abroad into a sale.

Who are the MRE?

They're Moroccans, and people of Moroccan descent, who live outside Morocco. The Economic, Social and Environmental Council (CESE) speaks of “Moroccans of the World”: anyone of Moroccan nationality or descent who has lived abroad for more than a year.

According to Ministry of Foreign Affairs figures cited by the CESE, 5.1 million Moroccans were registered with consulates in April 2021. Adding those who aren't registered and dual nationals born abroad, the CESE estimates the community at 6 to 6.5 million people.

France remains the top country of residence, with more than a million Moroccans in 2020. It's a diaspora that stays connected: according to the CESE, more than four in five MRE send part of their income to Morocco, and nearly 3 million visit at least once a year. Those remittances carry real weight: more than 122 billion MAD in 2025, then 89.2 billion MAD in the first eight months of 2026, up 9% year on year, according to Morocco's Foreign Exchange Office (Office des changes).

When should you reach the diaspora?

Before summer, then during it. Operation Marhaba, run by the Mohammed V Foundation for Solidarity, oversees the summer return of MRE every year. In 2026, it ran from June 10 to September 15 and welcomed 4,137,594 MRE, 1.8% more than in 2025.

The flow isn't steady. Cumulative entries show it:

Between July 1 and August 3, more than 2 million MRE entered Morocco, nearly three times the June volume. That's the summer peak. Just over half of entries come through the ports, the rest through the airports. Then the return begins: at Tanger Med, a special departure operation ran from August 19 to September 6.

Set your calendar to this rhythm:

• April to June — campaigns in the countries of residence. Your MRE customer is planning the stay, booking, setting up appointments.
• July and August — they're in Morocco. It's the time for viewings, try-outs, signings and celebrations.
• From September — remote follow-up with those who visited without signing.

Which sectors sell to MRE?

Mostly those with big purchases, decided from afar:

• Real estate — buying back home, for vacations, retirement or family. Our guide to real estate marketing in Morocco covers lead generation and qualification in detail.
• Banking and money transfers — MRE deposits in Moroccan banks exceeded 222 billion MAD at the end of 2025, nearly a quarter of all deposits by individuals, according to Bank Al-Maghrib.
• Travel — ferries, plane tickets, car rental, accommodation. Ports and airports split arrivals almost evenly.
• Automotive — 287,518 MRE vehicles had entered Morocco as of August 3, 2026, down 12.43% year on year. Insurers, garages and parts sellers have a clear window.
• Weddings and events — many families make the most of summer, when relatives are back home. Venues, caterers, photographers: part of the booking can be done remotely, well in advance.

The common thread: a big purchase, decided by someone who can't drop by the office tomorrow morning. That's what drives the targeting and the message.

How do you target MRE on Meta?

There's no reliable “MRE” checkbox. You combine several signals:

1. Countries of residence — start with France, then the countries where your customers live. Before summer, your customer is abroad: target where they live.
2. Languages — the CESE published its MRE consultation in seven languages, from Arabic to Dutch. An MRE born abroad may well use Facebook in French or Spanish. Test with and without a language filter.
3. Interests — tied to Morocco: media, sports, culture, travel. Check what's available in Ads Manager, as the list changes.
4. Lookalike audiences — built from your existing MRE customers: customer list, website visitors, WhatsApp conversations. A list of real customers beats a guessed category.

The limits of “expat” targeting

Meta has long offered targeting options related to living abroad. Check that they're still available on your account, and keep two limits in mind. First, you don't know exactly who Meta puts in these categories, and they may miss the generations born abroad. Second, and above all, they disappear in regulated sectors.

For housing and financial products, Meta requires a special ad category as soon as the ad runs in Europe, Canada or the United States. In practice:

For a property developer or a bank, then, it's the message, the ad's language and the video that do the filtering, not the targeting. It's a setting to frame from day one in any Meta ads campaign aimed at the diaspora.

What creative angle speaks to the diaspora?

Three levers keep coming back. Handle them with restraint:

• Nostalgia — the neighborhood, the sea, the family table, the light of a summer evening. The right image beats a flag.
• Family — buying for your parents, planning your retirement, passing something on to your children. The purchase is often a group decision.
• Trust — that's the real barrier. Buying from afar means fearing the construction site that never moves forward, the paperwork that stalls, the contact who stops answering. Show proof: filmed, dated footage of the site, documents, an address, the face of the person who will answer.

On format, vertical video shot on location does the job: a tour of the property, a word from an advisor, a venue ready for the party. Avoid stock images: the diaspora knows the country, and it spots a fake. Adapt the language to the target country, French, Spanish, Dutch or Italian, with a few words of Darija when they ring true.

Why close on WhatsApp and by video call?

Because MRE customers can't drop by the office. The lead comes in from Lyon on a Tuesday evening, and the sale plays out in the conversation that follows:

• Reply fast, on their time — evenings and weekends, in the time zone of their host country. The time difference is small with Europe, real with Canada.
• Offer a tour by video call — an advisor films the property or the venue live and answers questions.
• Send the documents on WhatsApp — plans, prices, terms, steps. The customer shows them to their family.
• Plan what comes next — an appointment during the summer stay, then follow-ups on Day 2, Day 7 and Day 30.

Our guide to WhatsApp Business for selling in Morocco covers messages, the catalog and quick replies in detail. At ANIMA, ads, video and conversation follow-up stay with the same team, with a single point of contact.

Sources

• CESE — Strengthening the intergenerational bond between Moroccans of the World and Morocco, opinion (own-initiative no. 63/2022): consular registrations, diaspora estimate, remittances and stays.
• Maroc.ma — Marhaba 2026: more than 4.1 million MRE welcomed, final figures from the Mohammed V Foundation for Solidarity (MAP, September 16, 2026).
• Hespress — Marhaba 2026: more than 700,000 Moroccans of the World already back, entries from June 10 to 30.
• Maroc.ma — Marhaba 2026, entries as of August 3, sea and air breakdown, vehicles.
• Maroc.ma — Marhaba 2026, return phase, entries as of August 21 and the Tanger Med departure operation.
• Hespress — MRE remittances in 2025, Office des changes data.
• Hespress — MRE remittances through the end of August 2026, Office des changes data.
• CCME — MRE remittances and deposits, bank deposits at the end of 2025 from Bank Al-Maghrib's annual report.
• Meta for Developers — Special Ad Categories, targeting restrictions for housing and financial products.