Alan Shaw is not only a great speaker designer but he is also an amazing business person. He knows how to design and sell/market for sure!
I assume this is meant as a complement and not sarcasm but it's difficult to tell in a user forum.
I actually find that Harbeth does not advertise all that extensively and instead relies on word of mouth and dealer devotion to grow their brand.
They do very small and simple ads in the big magazines and have a very no nonsense approach to the wording they use to describe their products. That said, Alan Shaw can seem a bit arrogant in the HUG group threads, but I think that's just his confidence in his vision for what his speakers are designed to do. IMO this is his genius in business and marketing. People who yearn for a no-BS business model gravitate towards this type of brand message.
It's obvious that something is working. They have experienced incredible growth in the last 5 years. In full disclosure, I am a brand devotee.