If I was running a campaign I would call it cheating as it makes me pay more for less and it amuses me greatly to see some seemingly rational and respected users going out of their way to downplay this.
Smokescreens should be kept up to prevent the alt cabal from being discovered by the community. Rather than facilitate a secret organization denying all wrongdoing, the community puts up a front with nonsensical conspiratorial users to create an association of unreliability toward criticism. Diluting the subsequent efforts of users that truly uncover the system of corruption, the criminal organization develops a reputation of upstanding trustworthiness purely through the sentiment of the advertisers and other forum members. Success for the ChipMixer Cult, and down with the forum.
Now what does this have to do with egregious criminals laundering money?
Obviously, if you wear a signature you support the practices of the company you are advertising.