Awwwwwe C'mon now! They had deep pockets at the time - lots of Silicon Valley VC money behind them and those big ad agencies were happy to spend like madmen!! All the hype just made them bigger. Granted, they did have a high return rate on hardware - but we were lucky to not be part of that statistic!
I think that Bay-area companies (especially in the '90s) tend to be aggressive in their presence and marketing. You have to admit - it worked while it lasted!