Millennials: Key to capturing Myanmar’s market
After almost 50 years’ of military rule Myanmar has seen itself propelled into the glares of modern life as brands eagerly clamber into the new market.
But marketers mustn’t be too hasty – for whilst tagged with the same ‘emerging’ label as its neighbouring countries, the life experience of the Burmese is completely different and they must be communicated with accordingly.
To put things in perspective, Myanmar’s Millennials may be rapidly catching up with modern life thanks to improving internet access and slowly relaxing attitudes, but the country’s volatile political situation forces them to navigate constantly between hope and fear.
As a result they have a much greater dependence on their traditions and families than other SE Asian Millennial cohorts.
In a study, Epinion conducted focussing on Myanmar’s Millennials with Innate Motion we discovered what was really important to this group and what brands must do to capitalise on this.
First of all, because the basic infrastructure of the country is very backward, Myanmar’s Millennials realise they have no one to depend on but themselves and put high value on self-learning and self-improvement.
In this instance brands must demonstrate they can provide opportunities. A good example here is Nescafe, which ran a campaign featuring a popular rock singer who sang about the brand providing a fresh mind and spirit to accelerate life.
The tagline ‘Successful journeys begin with Nescafe’ resonated with the Millennials’ desire to better themselves.
On top of this Myanmar is also a country mostly devoid of narrative, and its population is looking for brands to help them shape the identity that 49 years’ of military dictatorship stripped.
A brand that has done well here is Myanmar Beer, who defined its position as the country’s national beer with a narrative built on quality craftsmanship and uses imagery to associate itself with the royalty of Mandalay.
For FMCG brands there is also huge scope to gain a strong foothold in Myanmar as international perceptions of thin women and strong men have already infiltrated the country.
Of course, with the election coming up this November we could see a whole host of change, but one thing is sure, brands need to keep a close eye on this rapidly evolving country and generation.
