Charlatan's marketing gimmicks

We could have tried marketing gimmicks, bought a Super Bowl ad, or tried flamboyant public relations (PR) as a way of juicing our gross numbers. That would have given investors the illusion of traction, but only for a short time. Eventually, the fundamentals of the business would win out and the PR bump would pass. Because we would have squandered precious resources on theatrics instead of progress, we would have been in real trouble. 
The Lean Startup. Eric Ries

*The case I have seen ended with people without a Job.  The Charlatan and his Angels still defend their work. How can someone defend a Marketing Strategy that does this, Worst, that person is still one year and a half after he got fired he is still with the Linkedin CMO. He is not.