It's marketing.

Hear about a horse.

Flog horse to death.

Continue flogging.

Finding another word to suggest such a thing is difficult because the word "hack" or "hacker" did not originally suggest cheating or beating the system, but has had the meaning altered by people who didn't know the subject matter they were discussing.

It is people like this that have taken this word, changed its meaning to be something devious sounding, and then using it inappropriately (even with the new devious meaning) that is the source of the contention. It is for me at least.

The funny part to me is that in using the word "hack" in this way that suggests "beating the system" also suggests that his whole thought process is to offer suggestions that are inherently wrong. Hacking is cheating, so do these things to cheat. What a wonderful suggestion for long-term business growth.

If someone like this needs another word for what is being attempted then I think "cheating", "gaming", or even "spamming" fits quite nicely.

Finally, I cannot possibly take anyone that uses the term "growth hacking" seriously in a business context. It's like those job posts that use "ninja" or "rockstar"; just an attempt to appear hip or cool in a strange way.