Color pictures from the Stone Age
The former Burma is cautiously opening up—the advertisements still shine in a colorful and chaotic way
The former Burma is cautiously opening up - advertising is still colorful and anarchicBy Werner Catrina In Yangon, the capital of Myanmar, colorful and dazzling posters enchant the eyes of the Western observer: gold and blue are the predominant colors, offering products that are unaffordable for Burmese. Advertising here still has the anarchic features of a grab bag.
"Mac Burger" seems somehow familiar and yet very sharp
off the mark. The blending of two globally known labels would be mercilessly prosecuted and fined by copyright protection agencies in western industrialized countries. In Myanmar, the former Burma, however, such creations are omnipresent. In this long-isolated country, the market economy is experiencing its tentative dawn. But the romantic picture is mixed with countless shades of gray. The capital Yangon - formerly known as Rangoon - presents itself as a colorful picture book of true advertising anarchy. Here, a men's hairdresser's store is unabashedly adorned with the Boss logo, as if it were a shed for fine clothing; there, a tailor's shop open to the street is adorned with a large Pierre Cardin sign. Two examples of many.
The Berne Declaration has expelled Triumph from Burma
The Burmese traditionally have a flair for intense colors and gold. Both characterize the advertising scene, even if it is mainly the color yellow instead of gold. Striking contrasts can be seen at every turn: next to the Sule Pagoda, a gold-packed building in the center of Yangon, Cindy Crawford smiles with an Omega: "Cindy's choice!" No fake this time, because the Swatch Group has set its sights on the Southeast Asian country as one of its last bastions. However, only the top 10,000 of the 47 million inhabitants, the generals and their clans and the narrow business elite, perhaps also tourists with high purchasing power, are eligible customers.
Whether it's Beach Road, Inya Road or Maha Bandoola Road - Yangon is certainly a grab bag for anyone interested in advertising. But somehow it's all just a market economy backdrop. Myanmar is still an agricultural country in which 44 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) is generated in agriculture, forestry and fishing. Almost two thirds of all employees work in these sectors. Services, including tourism, account for around 40 percent of GDP.
Industrial production plays a subordinate role, which is why the military government is doing everything it can to attract foreign investors and production companies. However, for textile companies - such as the corsetry company Triumph - Myanmar as a production location has become a gauntlet.
On the initiative of the Berne Declaration development organization, the company was pilloried by the international media for indirectly supporting the military regime through its involvement: there is no doubt that the image of the barbed wire brassiere on velvet cushions has stirred up public opinion (see WW 46/01). It is obvious that the generals are economically incompetent and have run the country into the ground. Investment from abroad is urgently needed; the faster the political situation normalizes, the faster it will come.
A pair of jeans costs almost a month's wages
Some things seem surreal here. A few female tourists in Diesel jeans stroll into the sophisticated beach hotel from the colonial era with black designer rucksacks. This contrasts with a few young locals in their longyis, a kind of wrap-around jumper. A crowd of passing monks in their red and rust-colored cloaks complete the exotic picture.
To this day, the Burmese resist international fashion trends with astonishing tenacity. This is certainly also due to their purchasing power, as a pair of branded jeans costs almost a month's wages, which on average is a lot less than 50 dollars. Kyat is the Burmese currency; according to the - purely fictitious - official exchange rate, one US dollar is exchanged for 8 kyat.
Nevertheless, Western consumerism and beauty ideals are increasingly infiltrating the country. Almost omnipresent is the - always purple - advertising for Lux soaps, reminiscent of Europe in the 1950s. For the poorer classes, this soap represents the myth of cultivated beauty; secretly, people still emulate the beauty ideals of the former colonial rulers.
Silk Air, a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, which flies daily from Singapore to Yangon, advertises with large posters in the center of the capital. Many European and Asian tourists fly into the country via the Singapore hub. Around 150,000,000 foreign tourists travel to Myanmar every year, which is considered an insider tip due to its scenic beauty and the splendor of its cultural treasures.
Colorful markets as a still intact original cell of advertising
On average, visitors spend eight days in the country, too little for the enormous cultural and scenic potential. But anyone planning a trip here inevitably asks themselves the question of conscience: is it even allowed to come to Myanmar? Some opposition intellectuals are in prison and there is no free press. However, because the country was sealed off from the outside world for a long time, much has been preserved in its original form.
Around 100,000 direct and countless indirect jobs depend on tourism, an extremely important source of income for Myanmar, which the government wants to increase as much as possible.
One of the many tourist attractions here are the colorful markets overflowing with goods. The largest market in the capital was called Scott Market during the British colonial era and was later renamed Bogykoke Aung San Market. It now bears the name of the independence fighter Aung San. The goods on display speak for themselves; advertising is not necessary at these markets, whether you are looking for longyis and the assorted Mandalay slippers or want to buy fruit. Bargaining is obligatory here. If you don't, it's your own fault. The situation is different in the supermarkets opposite, where fixed prices apply. But that doesn't have to stop you from bargaining.
The Chinese market is colorful and lively, offering everything from ornamental fish to gold rings and ladles. In the Thain Gyi market on Konzaydan Street, formerly known as the "Indian market", the aroma of spices is beguiling. Chinese and Burmese people now also offer a wide range of goods here. Advertising is also kept to a minimum here; the names of the stall owners are usually enough.
Infiltration by the consumer world is progressing
The military junta had many traces of European influence destroyed, razed buildings and destroyed works of art, for example hand-painted Dutch tiles on the magnificent Schedagon Pagoda in Yangon. Companies from
Europe are very welcome here. However, many countries and companies continue to boycott the country. And some tourists who would actually like to see the country are changing their minds.
In a comprehensive, critical report on Myanmar, the renowned magazine Asiaweek quotes a dissident who spent six years in prison: "This boycott is bad for the country. The generals are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. We need contact with the outside world, we need investment and new industries. Foreigners bring ideas and new skills. That's what we need, that's the only way forward." Our well-informed tour guide Benno also implores us that boycotting tourism won't help: "We need tourists, the reforms will come later. Much sooner with than without tourists!"
On the drive back to the Inya Lake Hotel in Yangon, we pass huge billboards advertising the achievements of the city.
of the military government are glorified. But the large-scale state propaganda increasingly gives way to commercial posters. A little later, cheerful dolphins leap out of blue waves on a billboard, an advertisement for toilet paper...
"Mac Burger" seems somehow familiar and yet very sharp
off the mark. The blending of two globally known labels would be mercilessly prosecuted and fined by copyright protection agencies in western industrialized countries. In Myanmar, the former Burma, however, such creations are omnipresent. In this long-isolated country, the market economy is experiencing its tentative dawn. But the romantic picture is mixed with countless shades of gray. The capital Yangon - formerly known as Rangoon - presents itself as a colorful picture book of true advertising anarchy. Here, a men's hairdresser's store is unabashedly adorned with the Boss logo, as if it were a shed for fine clothing; there, a tailor's shop open to the street is adorned with a large Pierre Cardin sign. Two examples of many.
The Berne Declaration has expelled Triumph from Burma
The Burmese traditionally have a flair for intense colors and gold. Both characterize the advertising scene, even if it is mainly the color yellow instead of gold. Striking contrasts can be seen at every turn: next to the Sule Pagoda, a gold-packed building in the center of Yangon, Cindy Crawford smiles with an Omega: "Cindy's choice!" No fake this time, because the Swatch Group has set its sights on the Southeast Asian country as one of its last bastions. However, only the top 10,000 of the 47 million inhabitants, the generals and their clans and the narrow business elite, perhaps also tourists with high purchasing power, are eligible customers.
Whether it's Beach Road, Inya Road or Maha Bandoola Road - Yangon is certainly a grab bag for anyone interested in advertising. But somehow it's all just a market economy backdrop. Myanmar is still an agricultural country in which 44 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) is generated in agriculture, forestry and fishing. Almost two thirds of all employees work in these sectors. Services, including tourism, account for around 40 percent of GDP.
Industrial production plays a subordinate role, which is why the military government is doing everything it can to attract foreign investors and production companies. However, for textile companies - such as the corsetry company Triumph - Myanmar as a production location has become a gauntlet.
On the initiative of the Berne Declaration development organization, the company was pilloried by the international media for indirectly supporting the military regime through its involvement: there is no doubt that the image of the barbed wire brassiere on velvet cushions has stirred up public opinion (see WW 46/01). It is obvious that the generals are economically incompetent and have run the country into the ground. Investment from abroad is urgently needed; the faster the political situation normalizes, the faster it will come.
A pair of jeans costs almost a month's wages
Some things seem surreal here. A few female tourists in Diesel jeans stroll into the sophisticated beach hotel from the colonial era with black designer rucksacks. This contrasts with a few young locals in their longyis, a kind of wrap-around jumper. A crowd of passing monks in their red and rust-colored cloaks complete the exotic picture.
To this day, the Burmese resist international fashion trends with astonishing tenacity. This is certainly also due to their purchasing power, as a pair of branded jeans costs almost a month's wages, which on average is a lot less than 50 dollars. Kyat is the Burmese currency; according to the - purely fictitious - official exchange rate, one US dollar is exchanged for 8 kyat.
Nevertheless, Western consumerism and beauty ideals are increasingly infiltrating the country. Almost omnipresent is the - always purple - advertising for Lux soaps, reminiscent of Europe in the 1950s. For the poorer classes, this soap represents the myth of cultivated beauty; secretly, people still emulate the beauty ideals of the former colonial rulers.
Silk Air, a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, which flies daily from Singapore to Yangon, advertises with large posters in the center of the capital. Many European and Asian tourists fly into the country via the Singapore hub. Around 150,000,000 foreign tourists travel to Myanmar every year, which is considered an insider tip due to its scenic beauty and the splendor of its cultural treasures.
Colorful markets as a still intact original cell of advertising
On average, visitors spend eight days in the country, too little for the enormous cultural and scenic potential. But anyone planning a trip here inevitably asks themselves the question of conscience: is it even allowed to come to Myanmar? Some opposition intellectuals are in prison and there is no free press. However, because the country was sealed off from the outside world for a long time, much has been preserved in its original form.
Around 100,000 direct and countless indirect jobs depend on tourism, an extremely important source of income for Myanmar, which the government wants to increase as much as possible.
One of the many tourist attractions here are the colorful markets overflowing with goods. The largest market in the capital was called Scott Market during the British colonial era and was later renamed Bogykoke Aung San Market. It now bears the name of the independence fighter Aung San. The goods on display speak for themselves; advertising is not necessary at these markets, whether you are looking for longyis and the assorted Mandalay slippers or want to buy fruit. Bargaining is obligatory here. If you don't, it's your own fault. The situation is different in the supermarkets opposite, where fixed prices apply. But that doesn't have to stop you from bargaining.
The Chinese market is colorful and lively, offering everything from ornamental fish to gold rings and ladles. In the Thain Gyi market on Konzaydan Street, formerly known as the "Indian market", the aroma of spices is beguiling. Chinese and Burmese people now also offer a wide range of goods here. Advertising is also kept to a minimum here; the names of the stall owners are usually enough.
Infiltration by the consumer world is progressing
The military junta had many traces of European influence destroyed, razed buildings and destroyed works of art, for example hand-painted Dutch tiles on the magnificent Schedagon Pagoda in Yangon. Companies from
Europe are very welcome here. However, many countries and companies continue to boycott the country. And some tourists who would actually like to see the country are changing their minds.
In a comprehensive, critical report on Myanmar, the renowned magazine Asiaweek quotes a dissident who spent six years in prison: "This boycott is bad for the country. The generals are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. We need contact with the outside world, we need investment and new industries. Foreigners bring ideas and new skills. That's what we need, that's the only way forward." Our well-informed tour guide Benno also implores us that boycotting tourism won't help: "We need tourists, the reforms will come later. Much sooner with than without tourists!"
On the drive back to the Inya Lake Hotel in Yangon, we pass huge billboards advertising the achievements of the city.
of the military government are glorified. But the large-scale state propaganda increasingly gives way to commercial posters. A little later, cheerful dolphins leap out of blue waves on a billboard, an advertisement for toilet paper...
