If you think of hackathons as "making software", then yes, they are nonsense. However, the point of a hackaton is not to build a solid space shuttle control system. It is to quickly churn out a rough sketch of an idea to see if it floats.
If you think of hackatons as idea generation + prototyping events, then all of a sudden they begin to make sense. To stick with the "marketing guys" metaphor, it is Don Draper sparring with Peggy; throwing slogans against the wall and seeing if it sticks and sketching out a plan.
Marketing also has the equivalent of the artful "software making" that the author refers to. It's the labour-heavy generation of artwork, copy, campaigns and so on. But it all starts with the idea.
If you think of hackatons as idea generation + prototyping events, then all of a sudden they begin to make sense. To stick with the "marketing guys" metaphor, it is Don Draper sparring with Peggy; throwing slogans against the wall and seeing if it sticks and sketching out a plan.
Marketing also has the equivalent of the artful "software making" that the author refers to. It's the labour-heavy generation of artwork, copy, campaigns and so on. But it all starts with the idea.