You are assuming that price and value are positively correlated. They aren't necessarily. Anecdotally I find price has little to do with value in the App marketplace.
Buying users, which is in fact what sales and marketing is for indirectly does not mean the marketed product is provides more value nor does it mean the app, in this case, is performing better. All it means is the marketed product has backers willing to spend more on marketing.
>Anecdotally I find price has little to do with value in the App marketplace.
I think this is what they're getting at, or at least what took from it: Valuable apps are incorrectly priced.
I'm being a devils advocate by saying this, but the paid promotion could actually force apps to start charging relative to their value, rather than everyone charging at a flat $0.99. This would put pressure on and help sort out apps that are not very valuable, while giving valuable apps a mechanism to rise to the top.
Of course, this all breaks with apps that monetize through in-app purchases, and I honestly believe there needs to be a seperate marketplace for those Skinner boxes.
Buying users, which is in fact what sales and marketing is for indirectly does not mean the marketed product is provides more value nor does it mean the app, in this case, is performing better. All it means is the marketed product has backers willing to spend more on marketing.