Zusakhe Zukhanye

As someone working in public relations and corporate communications, I often find myself thinking about the things we spend so much time perfecting. We obsess over brand consistency, visual identity, messaging frameworks, pixel-perfect posters, polished campaigns, and strategic communication plans. These things matter. They always will. But lately, I've been asking myself a difficult question: Do ordinary people care as much as we think they do? From what I've observed, the answer is often no. People don't necessarily remember whether your poster was perfectly aligned or whether your corporate colours followed every brand guideline. What they remember is how you made them feel. They remember whether someone spoke to them with authenticity, whether they felt seen, valued, and included. This is where network marketing has become fascinating from a PR perspective. Many of these businesses don't have massive advertising budgets or sophisticated brand awareness campaigns. Yet they continue to grow at an incredible pace. They reach urban communities, townships, peri-urban areas, and rural villages—not because they dominate traditional media, but because they understand something that many established brands are still learning. They put their products into the hands of people their customers already trust. Instead of relying solely on celebrity endorsements or expensive advertising, they empower everyday people to become storytellers, salespeople, and brand ambassadors within their own communities. The relationship comes first. The transaction follows. That makes me wonder whether we're witnessing a bigger shift in marketing and communications. Years ago, social media introduced influencer marketing. Brands partnered with creators who had large audiences to promote products through unboxings, reviews, and sponsored content. It was revolutionary because people trusted people more than advertisements. But perhaps network marketing represents the …