1) Myanmar has a complex consumer culture shaped by traditions and beliefs, with most families living modestly together and spending a significant portion of their modest income on food and education. 2) Television has become very popular, while internet penetration remains low, presenting opportunities for brands to market through TV and mobile phones. 3) However, Buddhism strongly influences culture and lifestyle, and consumers prioritize quality and country of origin when purchasing imported goods. Changes are occurring as younger people aspire to prestigious jobs and education.

1. Share this Intelligence Applied
On trade, tea and TVs:
the key to Myanmar’s consumer market
Our response was to create TNS Myanmar MyLife, a study
of 10,000 lives and their beliefs, habits and tastes. It was
a consumer journey that took us through the complex
tapestry of beliefs that underpins their culture, eventually
leading us to the centre of its society – the teashop.
The journey may have ended here, but it began in the
bustling environment of a typical humble homestead,
where several generations of the same family live under
the same roof. The food is simple, bought from local
markets and is the result of admirable entrepreneurialism:
families live on approximately $1,000 per annum, two-
fifths of which is spent on food, but two-thirds of the
population is self-employed. Money and status is not
a major concern among families in Myanmar, but the
family themselves and the community they live in is: when
walking through the average neighbourhood, you will see
jugs of cool water left by residents outside most houses for
pedestrians to refresh themselves with as they walk by.
Inside homes, the television takes pride of place: just
over one in ten households have a gas stove, but nearly
three-quarters have a TV and approximately two-thirds of
urbanities describe it as their favourite pastime. Gone are
What do you do with a country that is a veritable
jewellery shop of precious minerals, which will
enjoy a glittering future after recently opening
up its markets to international trade, but where
most of the population lives in relative poverty?
Dozens of consumer brands have approached us since
Myanmar threw open its market gates last year, eager to
promote their products to this exciting new demographic,
but unsure about a culture that has remained isolated
from the world for so long.

2. Share this Intelligence Applied
On trade, tea and TVs:
the key to Myanmar’s consumer market
clear: they associate quality and price with an imported
product’s country of origin, so a Japanese product will fetch
a higher price than an identical Chinese product, which
plays a crucial role in the retail dynamics of the country.
However, change is afoot with a rise in aspirations.
Financial stability now ranks above personal health among
the Burmese, and finding a prestigious job at a company
is a key motivation for young consumers. Education is a
growing priority for families as over a tenth of income is
spent on education.
Companies may look to the schoolhouse for budding
future employees and to TV and mobile for consumers in
this exciting frontier market. But they should not ignore the
sensitivities of the place of worship, the homestead and the
teashop, if their path to market is to be a smooth one.
About the author
Jason Copland is managing director of TNS in
Myanmar; he has over 18 years consumer insight
experience - including 10 years in Myanmar. Jason
joined TNS in October 2012 and has established a
full service team - client service, fieldwork, operations
and qualitative - based in Yangon and helping diverse
clients to understand people across the country.
About TNS
TNS advises clients on specific growth strategies around
new market entry, innovation, brand switching and
stakeholder management, based on long-established
expertise and market-leading solutions. With
a presence in over 80 countries, TNS has more
conversations with the world’s consumers than anyone
else and understands individual human behaviours and
attitudes across every cultural, economic and political
region of the world.
TNS is part of Kantar, one of the world’s largest insight,
information and consultancy groups.
Please visit www.tnsglobal.com for more information.
the days when advertisements were prone to government
censorship and here lies an interesting opportunity to
reach out to the populace, as internet is in its infancy
with home internet penetration at 2%.
In contrast, mobile/smartphone ownership has seen
an enormous boom in the past six months, up by
over half in the urban centres of Yangon and Mandalay.
But before Western brands consider trying to attract the
nation’s young population using Western methods – and
it is a young population, with 56% of the majority ethnic
group, Burmese, under the age of 29 – there are cultural
and religious considerations to keep in mind.
Buddhism is a way of life, with three-quarters worshipping
daily and a similar proportion believing it is essential to
follow tradition and established values in their everyday
life. They have a strong moral compass, with the vast
majority of young people admitting their views differ
very little from those of their parents.
All ages gather in their local convenience stores, markets
and tea shops, not only centres of commerce, but of
community. Listening to the chatter of conversation, as
tea, rice and refreshments are passed from one hand to
another, a trend unique to the Burmese majority becomes
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