Our Enterprise beta is live! Apply here.
Learn More
With the explosion of mobile phones, along with their use as technology devices, comes an influx of advertisements. Text messages are one of the most common types of ads people get bombarded with on their phone.
Most cellphones have a feature that allows you to receive text messages directly from any source. This is typically done through a free app or via your device’s browser. Most people have allowed this to happen at least once in their life- maybe even twice!
It is very easy to forget how much influence these ads can have on someone. Even if you don’t care about the product being advertised, there may be something about the advertisement that sparks an interest.
For example, I will not go into great detail about all of the different weight loss programs out there, but there are some that are shockingly expensive. People who try them talk about how effective they are so others might want to consider trying one of those brands.
However, beware of using the income generated form advertising to make purchases, especially big ones! There are many stories of people doing just that due to online reviews and reports. It would probably be best to do some research yourself before investing in such products.
Sometimes companies will send promotional messages via text message. It is very common for major brands to advertise products through texts. This is usually done as a test to see if you give them your information, or whether they work better with another company’s product.
For example, let’s say that a car dealership offers a free car wash when you visit their store. They often times will add additional fees such as a service appointment or buying accessories at the sale price.
They will send you this offer via text and ask you to confirm the purchase. If you agree to it, then great! But now they have gathered some valuable information about yourself and may have made a sales pitch.
You should be aware of these types of promotions since you are giving up your rights to refuse them. Simply tell the person that you do not want to receive anymore marketing texts and you can go about deleting your account (if you already have an account).
It is your right as a customer to opt out of receiving messages sponsored by their product or service. If you feel that they are too pushy, tell them!
Companies send promotional text messages because they believe that it is worth the cost to gain your attention and therefore increase business.
But how annoying it can be when all of a sudden you get flooded with ads for things that you don’t care about!
It is very common for cell phone companies to advertise their services so customers will sign up for new plans. Or for mobile phone carriers to promote discounts or rewards programs for their products.
What if we told you though that there was a way to stop getting these messages? Technically, you could!
You can easily block every type of message sent through short messaging (text) systems such as WhatsApp, Viber, Line, Messenger, and Kik. These apps typically use an API to transmit messages so even if the app itself has been deleted, you can still stay informed.
There are several ways to do this. You can either download third party software that does it for you, install fake versions of the app to trick it into thinking that the device is connected, or write your own script in a programming language like Python.
There’s one more way that mobile marketers are using spammy technology to reach out to you, and it’s worse than getting an unexpected call or text message with a link.
They’re sending messages that contain a link. But when you open the link, something strange happens!
The browser automatically forwards the request to the website you visited before the advertisement. This is called push notification forwarding. It makes sense – if I see an ad for XYZ product, then why wouldn’t I want to buy it?
This article will tell you how to block this annoying feature so that you don’t have to worry about companies hijacking your browsing history.
The next step in blocking marketing messages is creating a spam filter for your mobile device or smartphone. This can be done at either the platform level or app level depending on which one you use.
At the platform level, you will need to go into settings and find something called “sms” where you can check or uncheck whether incoming texts are allowed. Some phones have this by default because it is considered standard functionality, but you may want to turn this off if you do not wish to receive text messages.
On most smartphones, you can also add an extra layer of protection by using another service that allows you to block individual senders or categories of senders. This is very helpful as some companies accidentally/on purpose over-send promotional material and this can be blocked easily.
By doing this at the app level, you will need to go into each app and disable push notifications. You can then re-enable these later if you change your mind.
Recent developments for some mobile phone services have allowed them to include advertisements within short messages (SMSs) or “texts”.
These ads can be quite invasive as they may contain offers to purchase the product, coupons for the product, or both. The advertisement is typically very large so it takes up most of the screen space leaving little room for other content.
Some of these advertisements also require you to respond by giving your cell phone number which could potentially allow the advertiser to send repeated expensive advertisements. This is especially prevalent during holiday seasons when companies want to get as many people to shop as possible.
This article will talk about how to block this type of advertising so that you do not have to worry about it.
There is an app for almost everything these days, including how to block marketing messages. You can choose to not receive promotional texts or phone calls from brands you already know about, or find new ones!
By blocking text advertisements, you will save yourself some extra money in mobile service fees each month. Some people even say that it feels more authentic when advertisers have to ask your permission to send you promotions instead of them having automatic access.
If you are very conscious of what companies advertise and how much they cost per year, you can also avoid getting expensive products through services like Reward Programs or monthly subscriptions. By avoiding this type of advertisement, you will saving yourself a little bit every day!
There is no need to hide your phone or computer while looking at ads, because you cannot view the content without accepting the promotion. You still get full features of the program, just without the distractions.
Let’s say you find yourself in an argument with someone about why marketing text messages are annoying, intrusive, and expensive. You try to defend their position, but it just goes in one direction.
They begin to get very emotional which makes you feel even more emotional. This can be tricky when trying to have a conversation, so most people give up and walk away.
If this happens to you, tell your loved ones (parents, kids, partners) how much you care for them and ask if they’ve talked to this person before. Maybe there is something you can talk to them about?
You could also call or message their boss to see what resources she/he has and whether they’re able to help. If necessary, add that you want to speak to them face-to-face to avoid any arguments.
In addition to all of these things, there are ways to block text messaging apps so you don’t have to pay for too many more texts.
This is one of the stealthier ways businesses use marketing messages, but it’s just as harmful for your personal life as direct-message spam on messaging apps.
Businesses will send you promotional information via text message or through sponsored posts on social media sites.
They may even ask you to respond with an action or to give them your phone number so they can send more messages — all without your permission!
And because these advertisements come from companies, they usually sound professional and legitimate. It may feel like something you have to do in order to believe their product, which could be false hope.
I've seen some pretty expensive products that I wouldn't recommend buying unless I knew someone who did (and was honest about it).
It's important to recognize when you're being asked to make a purchase and what tone the advertiser uses when asking you to buy. Sometimes advertisers don't put much effort into theirs.
It may seem tempting to say yes, especially if you're trying to get discounts or rewards, but always think twice before giving in. Read our article here for more tips.
