WPP and Millward Brown have released the results of BrandZ’s Spotlight on Myanmar, exploring insights into the opinions of the 51 million consumers in the emerging market.

With Myanmar set to be the first country to go straight to smartphone, local telecom brand MPT ranked as the most loved, with recent market entrant mobile provider Telenor also receiving recognition for innovation.

The research, which surveyed 1,660 consumers and covers 42 key international and regional brands, shows that the strongest brands are those that project idealism, desirability and a sense of adventure, with the most effective messages coming from brands that put products and benefits front and centre.

Apple was shown to be the most differentiated brand in the region, followed by Coca-Cola and Samsung, which also scored highest for brand proposition. Huawei had the highest brand power, defined as a brand’s ability to boost sales or gain market share due to consumers’ predisposition to choose this brand over another, performing better in Myanmar than in its home market China.

“There are huge opportunities for international brands to be successful in Myanmar, if they get their cultural message right and understand the diversity of the country, particularly in the border areas,” said The Store EMEA and Asia chief executive David Roth. Our teams have identified comparisons with the India of 30 years ago and indeed some aspects of rural India today.

Also valid are comparisons with Indonesia, which also has a large population that lives off the land as well as a huge range of different climatic regions.”

Other key trends highlighted include the rapid improvement in infrastructure and the region being the first mobile-only market with e-commerce soon to arrive, with diversity in the area being a focus for brands.

“BrandZ’s first research in Myanmar will help international and regional marketers understand the challenge of building strong brands in this new market,” said Millward Brown head of BrandZ Doreen Wang. “Experience in other fast emerging markets shows that first mover advantage and the loyalty it engenders in consumers can last for decades. Myanmar is a long-term commitment but one that will pay off for the brands that get it right.”

For more information, check out M&M Global’s feature on marketing in the region here.