After Heady Optimism About the Myanmar Market, Then Came the Reality Check

When Myanmar was ruled by a military junta and isolated by the international community, Western brands were scarce in the Southeast Asian nation. Today, billboards advertise Coca-Cola, Pond's face wash and Nescafé coffee sachets. Even in Myanmar's rural corners, vinyl posters plugging foreign mobile carriers and Facebook access are everywhere—and villagers use them to waterproof their thatched houses.