I think there's a difference between a 'newbie' (in the Flyertalk sense, comes here to become an expert in these dark arts) and the 'general public'.
With a publicist and all sorts of media appearances now, for instance, TPG certainly looks to be targeting the general public for advice.
That's a large group of folks who might be interested in "what's the best credit card?" but probably not "how can I maximize 4-6 credit cards every 90 days, and extract retention bonuses before the annual fees come do?"
There's nothing wrong with either approach, I think, they are just meeting the needs of a different set of people. And going after a broader audience may be more profitable.
10,000 people signing up for 16 cards a year vs. 10 million people signing up for 1 and then might get sold a second card.
