Brimming with confidence after their recent success in China’s biggest cities such as Beijing and Shanghai, both foreign and local marketers have expanded into many smaller cities across the country. However, few have taken the bolder step of moving into China’s rural hinterland, consisting of 750 million consumers. This market was estimated at around RMB 2.9 trillion ($426 billion) in 2009 — twice as much as it was in 2000.