Anyway, for example, during its last years, the well known large company i worked at, was steadily posting near neutral quarters on non-GAAP, excluding one time charges, basis. The only thing is that each quarter there would be at least a one "one time charge" that would result in the quarter being deep in red. Not surprisingly at all if one understands that the life and business in particular is just a sequence of one time events :)
(there is of course a very reasonable use of one-time charges - if company generates a profit, then good accountants would dig out some "one time charges" that would allow to decrease/avoid the profit tax)
Also, when companies do these adjustments, they should carry it consistently throughputs its full extent, i.e. by estimating the dilution
I agree that stripping out marketing costs to acquire customers is harder to understand in this way and would seem to be somewhat out of the ordinary.
[1] for example ARM Holdings plc is listed on LSE and NASDAQ and shows its Q2 earnings press release with "normalised" figures quoting as being based on IFRS, adjusted for acquisition-related charges, share-based payment costs, restructuring charges, profit on disposal and impairment of available-for-sale investments and Linaro™-related charges http://phx.corporate-ir.net/External.File?item=UGFyZW50SUQ9M...