When Everyone Becomes a Digital Expert: The Rise of Ad Criticism Onlin

Marketing and digital advertising budgets in Kenya have been growing steadily. Corporates are investing heavily to position their brands in an increasingly competitive landscape, and creatives haven’t been left behind. Creative Directors, Brand Managers, Copywriters, Designers, and Social Media Managers are burning the midnight oil, brainstorming wild ideas and crafting clever copy meant to wow audiences.

But just when you think you’ve nailed the campaign, there’s one more hurdle: the Nairobi Digital Moral Police.

Have you met them? They don’t work in your company or agency, they don’t know your KPIs, but they’re always waiting. The moment a billboard goes up or a TVC drops, they are armed and ready to dissect it. Within minutes, you’ll see X threads, LinkedIn rants, Instagram stories, and carousel slideshows tearing it down. Sometimes I sit back and follow their “tea” because I mean, why not? I am a creative too.

This online jury has real influence. We’ve seen brands panic and pull down ads overnight, while others are forced to swallow the bitter pill and let the campaign run its course. Emergency meetings are called. WhatsApp groups go silent. In some cases, the noise passes quickly, and life moves on.

When Did This Start?

From what I’ve observed, it’s millennials leading the charge. Many are smart, well-read, and degree-holding, but does that make them digital strategy experts? That’s debatable. Of course, not all their criticism is useless; some of it has genuinely pushed brands to rethink tone-deaf campaigns or lazy copy. But we must also admit: no one outside the brand knows its story, targets, or constraints better than the in-house team. Yet, people with hourly bundles are quick to craft ten-slide carousels tearing apart one billboard.

How Should Creatives React?

Think about it. You’ve done five brainstorming sessions, fought through leadership or client approval feedback, polished the brief, and finally gotten that elusive sign-off. Then someone on X, who doesn’t even know your brand’s KPIs declares, “This ad is terrible. Who approved this?”

The colors are too bright. The logo is off. The CTA is missing. The stock image looks cheap. According to them, everything is wrong. But who knows the brand best? You do. Who carries the KPIs? You. Who has to protect the brand and drive sales? You.

This doesn’t mean creatives should be defensive or rigid. Being open to ideas is part of the job. But remember: you are the goalkeepers. You understand your product, your consumers, and the realities behind that campaign far better than the armchair critics.

How Should Brands React?

First, support your team. You hired them for a reason. The same creatives being trolled online are the ones who’ve built your brand wins over the years. Mistakes will happen, that’s the nature of creativity. Encourage them instead of throwing them under the bus.

Second, listen to your audience but with wisdom. Advertising isn’t about shouting at people; it’s about engaging them, showing value, and sparking conversations. Public feedback can hold brands accountable and that’s healthy. But when every campaign is designed just to avoid LinkedIn and X backlash, we risk a culture of safety, sameness, and mediocrity.

And the Digital Moral Police?

They’re not going anywhere. In fact, they’re multiplying with smartphone penetration above 80% and Kenyans topping the world for time spent on social media (over four hours a day, according to Global Web Index 2025), we’ve created a nation of online experts. Critiquing ads has almost become a sport. Soon you won’t even need to do it yourself; you can ask AI to generate a ten-slide critique of a billboard, and it will.

That said, constructive criticism is always welcome. Knowledge is infinite, and as we say back home, “you can never exhaust it.” But maybe, just maybe, we can all learn to critique with context, not just clapbacks.

Until then, let’s keep our eyes open for the next campaign to trend because in Nairobi, the only thing that goes viral faster than an ad is its critique.

Happy critiquing, folks.

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Linus Kemboi is the Assistant Manager – Brand | Marketing at Minet Kenya