Literally everyone has a PR problem - Government! Tech bros! Even that little old lady down the street can be spun negatively if a journalist wants to (she's probably conservative and racist).
But if you have a problem, those things magically disappear when you are trying to solve it. No one remembers that sexual harassment lawsuit against the fire department when their house catches on fire - they just call 911.
I honestly don't care what tech bros overall think about marketing. People are still picking up the phone and asking for help.
Just mute "techbro" on Twitter if the term bothers you.
Sometimes I get annoyed that I get painted with the same brush as my most toxic coworkers, but I have the resources to cope. It's rarely an issue in my daily life.
As OP said clearly: a lot of the issues people have with "marketing" are actually issues with "advertising". I wholly agree (as someone who actively avoids ads).
There are marketers who believe their only tool is advertising. There are also technologists who believe that ads are all marketing is. Both of these groups are leaving opportunities on the table. That isn't anyone's fault, it just means these people are missing their chances.
The marketers, the people creating the advertisements, are extra responsible if they are perceived negatively since they're the people who should be most able to market themselves better. It's kinda funny, really.
My company pays me to market its products and services. They don't pay me to do image repair for my discipline. I suspect this is the case for most companies and most disciplines.
I come across a lot of crappy software. I come across a lot of crappy ads. I paint neither the software engineering nor marketing disciplines wholly negatively.
