Intense publicity for a future event, performed in a showy or excessively dramatic manner suggesting an importance not justified by the event; as, the hype surrounding the superbowl is usually ludicrous.
source: Webster 1913
verb
publicize in an exaggerated and often misleading manner
source: WordNet 3.0
to publicize [e.g. a product or a future event] insistently, in a manner exaggerating the importance of; to promote flamboyantly.
