Be Shameless

I feel like there's a balance this article is missing.

Yes, obviously if you're not doing any marketing and no one knows what your company is, what it does, or how it's doing it's going to be a lot harder to talk to customers/potential hirs/VCs

On the flip side if all you're doing is beating your own drum, spewing vanity metrics, and not focusing on the things that truly matter to the business (customers + product) then you're going to turn off a lot of smart, perceptive people that you'd be lucky to have as your customers/employees/investors

I think there is shameless and there is shameless. I don't see the examples the OP mentions as being shameless really. Perhaps riding on the back of a notable death or otherwise serious, negative event is shameless. For example, in the UK, we recently had a roller coaster crash. An accident solicitor sent out a marketing SMS along the lines of "Have you been involved in a roller coaster crash? We can help claim the compensation you deserve". I would say this is an example of taking shamelessness too far to the point where it's disrespectful and ultimately harmful to your reputation.

Don't do any of this. It's terrible, myopic, short-sighted and disingenuous. It's part of the problem.

Read 0-1