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Advertising is always about grabbing attention. The more impressions, the more odds of sales or uptake. It's a legit consideration anytime some stunt happens in public spreading on media or social networks.

Not that I think that has anything to do with this. Looks more like normal goofing around by security or hacking folks. If anything, he looses money or precious beer from it.

I always wonder why in general there is such a distrust / avoidance of marketing in tech communities.

I can't speak for others, but I see marketing as manipulation and I see manipulation as a dehumanizing act that robs humans of their own agency.

He could market himself and his site in order to increase his self branding.

Even if it is a marketing stunt, it is a nice one.

Taylor (@DefuseSec) is one of the organizers of the Underhanded Crypto Contest at DEFCON; it started as an open invitation to try to social engineer him so he can improve himself. It wasn't a marketing stunt, at all.