State-owned telco Myanma Posts and Telecommunications is the “most-loved” commercial brand in the country, according to a new survey of consumer habits in Myanmar.
The inaugural Spotlight on Myanmar survey, a joint publication by UK advertising agency WPP and market research firm Millward Brown, recorded highly positive feelings among local consumers toward companies operating in the telecommunications sector.
Norway’s Telenor also featured in the list of most-loved brands, along with handset manufacturers Samsung and Huawei and Max+, a beverage joint venture between Coca-Cola Co. and Pinya Manufacturing Co. Ltd.
Following the liberalisation of the telecommunications sector and the end of MPT’s monopoly over the sector, mobile phone penetration has skyrocketed from less than 10 percent of the population in 2012 to around two-thirds of the country at the end of last year.
In a comprehensive study of the spending habits of local consumers, the Spotlight on Myanmar report noted that enthusiasm for foreign brands was lower than that seen in earlier emerging markets, leaving space for local products to thrive.
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“Myanmar is not just rushing into [an] ‘anything foreign is good’ mentality,” Andy Annett, managing director of TODAY Ogilvy PR, said of the survey. “There is a complex sense of national pride and an opportunity to develop really strong national brands to play alongside multinational brands coming in.”
