Wasn't like that 4 years ago. The ANN threads are full of crap and paid promotions regardless of the rules.
I haven't been around 4 years ago, but I can only imagine being much worse than now, because before changes the way threads were sorted this paid bumper technique actually worked, while now it's completely useless. So if anything, it can only be easier for legit projects with genuine interest to stand out. The fact that altcoins are mostly promoted on other social media platforms like Twitter is another story...
By the way, have you considered running signature campaign?
Was told by a moderator when asking for rules, you can't run signature campaigns anymore but it's just another thing happening here. Complete inconsistencies. Since we're not having an ICO we would be interested in having someone run a signature campaign but to not risk ban I won't promote it here. Our contact can be found by our website which is the same as our username.