It is a US based perspective.UK marketing is somewat different.
Marketing techniques ‘Ancient (90s) and Modern’ (digital) in the US – as alluded to in the article, are relatively unregulated in the US.
In the UK, there is more regulation, all be it self-regulation.
Remember we are opt-in in the UK
Grass roots isn’t slayed by big bad marketing. In fact big bad marketing co-opted many of the techniques. Look at virus marketing etc
Remember the outsider democrat challenger? (I forget his name. He used ‘internet’ marketing to raise his money and link his supporters. He was beaten down by a party machine (his own) not by big brother marketing