Navigating the new frontiers

x Sponsored content on Research Live and in Impact magazine is editorially independent.
Find out more about advertising and sponsorship.

There’s a lot of buzz around the south-east Asian new kids on the block: the ‘new frontier’ markets of Bangladesh, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Sri Lanka – and sometimes the rural geographies of developing countries such as Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam. 

These markets are growing fast: birth rates are high and the demographic profiles skew young. To put that into perspective, there were more babies born in Laos last year than in the Netherlands – a country more than twice as populous. 

Although many in these countries still have limited disposable income, economic growth is strong. Rapid urbanisation, poverty reduction and the establishment of modern retailing formats are supporting sales of a wide range of consumer goods where previously there were none.

For brands, the lure of these virgin territories is strong. There’s a chance for brand owners to secure first-mover advantages and to pick the low-hanging fruit that they hope will be waiting. The potential is very ...