This seems to fit my classic case of a "proverb," where there is likely to be an opposite and equally valid proverb. Note that in both cases the only valid evidence he's presented is his own reaction - and in both cases the marketing reached his ears.
I dunno, barking always helps me get people when I'm trying to recruit for my student group (or do anything involving people for my student group). Say something interesting, act crazy, adopt fake accents, look people in the eye, smile, try to make contact in any way possible. These are my tactics, and as far as I know, I'm the most successful at these tasks among my group. Another thing I do is to poke fun at people a bit ("You with the weird hat! I bet you love Final Fantasy!" (The group in question is a VGM-playing orchestra))
It's entirely possible, though, that this kind of thing ceases to be true in non-college environments where people don't have an overabundance of time on their hands. But my techniques even work with the meek geeks, so I don't believe it's anything concerning the shyness of your target audience.
1. If you want something, say so.
2. If you don't get it, yell.
3. If you still don't get it, yell louder.
4. If all else fails, add the magic word, "fuck".
They're no longer in business. I WONDER WHY!