In startups, if the developers suck there really is nothing the marketing guy can do about it. That's assuming the consumer is tech-savvy and actually cares. I

In startups, if the developers suck there really is nothing the marketing guy can do about it. That's assuming the consumer is tech-savvy and actually cares. I'm guessing AOL didn't have the best developers, features, etc., but they definitely had the best marketers. Anti-virus companies also thrive due to PR and marketing, ranging from contacting news outlets about the Michelangelo virus, to scaring people with an animated gif reporting that your computer is infected. With the latter, the scammers made billions off of software that did nothing at all--that's the power of marketing.