To me, "growth hacking" evokes more than just marketing.
Let's say my startup hustles like crazy and carves out a deal with a major coffee chain (like Square did with Starbucks IIRC).
Suddenly we have access to a whole lot more users. We grew the user base drastically, yet it wasn't exactly a result of marketing but rather one of strategic dealmaking.
To me, that is the quintessence of growth hacking.
It's better to use ordinary language to describe something ordinary like Starbucks using Square. Sales is a steady job that anyone can do (like programming.) Hustling like crazy and such is made to sound special when it's not particularly crazy at all.
Let's say my startup hustles like crazy and carves out a deal with a major coffee chain (like Square did with Starbucks IIRC).
Suddenly we have access to a whole lot more users. We grew the user base drastically, yet it wasn't exactly a result of marketing but rather one of strategic dealmaking.
To me, that is the quintessence of growth hacking.