The Friday Book Club: Why the Advertising Industry Needs Intentional Knowledge Exchange
By Tinyiko Ndlala, Business Unit Director at Leagas Delaney South Africa
Tinyiko Ndlala, Business Unit Director at Leagas Delaney South Africa, draws inspiration from a childhood tradition to argue that the advertising industry must embrace structured knowledge transfer to nurture the next generation of talent.
Reflecting on a fond memory from Grade 1 in 1996, Ndlala recalls the joy of Fridays—not for school mass or shorter days, but for a special reading tradition. Grade 1 learners would pick a book, and a Grade 7 student would read it aloud. Beyond storytelling, this ritual fostered camaraderie and created a culture of value exchange: younger learners gained knowledge and attention, while older students honed patience and communication skills.
For Ndlala, this early experience illustrates a crucial lesson for the advertising world: intentional knowledge exchange between experienced professionals and emerging talent can transform careers and the industry itself.
The Skills That Matter
The advertising industry is rich with both visible and invisible skills. Beyond creativity and administrative expertise, real mastery lies in the unspoken: reading client dynamics, translating insights into digestible messages, and navigating complex decision-making. These skills are rarely taught formally but are critical to professional success. They are learned through observation, mentorship, and intentional transfer from those who have walked the path before.
Breaking Down Barriers
Despite the clear benefits, structured knowledge sharing remains rare. Time constraints, ego, and the lack of formal systems prevent consistent exchange. Moreover, the industry’s focus on youth often undervalues experience, leading to knowledge hoarding and repeated reinvention of familiar solutions.
What Intentional Exchange Could Look Like
Ndlala envisions an industry where structured programs mimic the simplicity of her childhood Friday Book Club: regular, consistent sessions for knowledge transfer; reverse mentoring where juniors teach emerging platforms while learning client psychology; cross-disciplinary shadowing; and peer learning circles that build a shared repository of wisdom. These simple, replicable systems prioritize consistency and intentionality over bureaucracy.
Building Legacy Systems
Legacy should not be a buzzword but a practice. Agencies could capture decision-making frameworks, internal case studies, and the messy processes behind successful campaigns. By treating institutional knowledge as a collective resource, the advertising industry can ensure wisdom is preserved beyond individual careers and organizational changes.
Time to Start Our Own Friday Book Club
Ndlala calls for tangible, structured systems for meaningful skills transfer, moving beyond theoretical mentorship. In a field built on ideas, collective wisdom—not the latest campaign—is the most valuable asset. Like in a classroom, in the boardroom, everyone benefits from having someone to teach and someone to learn from.
