How to permanently disable Avast popup advertisement spam?
Windows 7
avast! Internet Security
2014.9.0.2013
What pop-up?
Screenshot?
…
Official spam from a product with an anti-spam feature…
Thanks for the acknowledgement of your spam.
It was not the answer I was hoping for, but it is an answer.
It is also the answer that results in me, a LONG time paid user, no longer using or recommending your product due to your “method” of spam.
------ Original Message ------
Received: Tue, 11 Feb 2014 04:05:13 AM CST
From: avast! support <helpdesk@avast.com>
To: xxxxx
Subject: [#xxxxx]: Avast Popup Advertisements
Hello Benny!
I am NOT okay with Avast popup ADVERTISEMENTS
I understand. Please follow the suggestions xxxxx provided, it should reduce the advertisements, if not remove them.
Disabling features can not be the only way
You’re not supposed to disabled any security feature, just set avast! to silent mode, which seems to be exactly what you’re looking for. In this mode, the pop-ups are not displayed.
Please understand that we are commercial company and the advertisements is one of the method how to succeed on the market. We’re glad that you paid for the better version of our antivirus after using the free version for so many years. But please understand that you did not pay for a version without any advertisements, but for version that provides more security.
So again - if you’re tired of the pop-up advertisements, please follow the instructions of xxxxx.
Best regards,
xxxxx, senior technical support supervisor
Ticket Details
Ticket ID: xxxxx
Department: Technical Support (Consumer AV)
Type: Communication
Status: On Hold
Priority: Normal
Support Center: https://support.avast.com/index.php?
Those are not spam. They are probably part of an ongoing issue involving wrongly worded
vps updates. To turn these off is simple…
GUI>Settings>Updates>scroll down to and open “details”>untick the box shown. 
I just re-read your post.
Guess what…it seems as if avast is now using this form of advertising.
It should be piggy-backed with a vps update.
This is intriguing as I have yet to experience this… Maybe they like the Cornish
I got the news via a PM from AdrianH.
This was to say the least news to me.
How to remove this “seasonal sale” thing? What happened to the good old Avast?
So if someone wants to buy the AVAST software would you recommend it ?
To me they like me and they like me not. These advert, piggy- backing VPS alerts, come and goes. Right now I have had several days with regular VPS alerts.
Of course… avast! is great; However, as everything you buy it is better to try it first running the trial version.
Example from just now.
Personally, this trend isn’t all that surprising to me. I suspected that there might be a shift in this direction - to more aggressive marketing - when they hired a CEO who is a former Symantec executive: “vice president of worldwide consumer sales at Symantec, running it’s international sales organization.”
It wasn’t hard to predict a similar focus from him at avast!. This is not to suggest that he’s imposing his will on the company - more likely that he’s fulfilling his mandate from the Board of Directors.
While there’s often focus on the growth in numbers of end users of avast! products over the past few years, it’s not often mentioned that the company itself has undergone significant personnel growth at the same time. This takes revenue.
Go to the “About Us” → “Company” link from the avast! home page. Look at the “History” timeline at the bottom. Clicking on each yearly node will give a brief highlight of that year. In 2007 they had 38 employees. In 2008 they had 60 employees. In 2009 they had 100 employees. In 2011 they had over 150 employees. In 2012 they had over 200 employees. In 2013-present it’s over 300 employees.
The company has had financial partners pour money into the company’s coffers. Such backers expect their investments to pay off - they’re not altruistic. See these:
Growth Equity Investor Summit Partners Invests $100M in AVAST Software
Leading Antivirus Software Developer Positioned for Continued Growth
August 23, 2010
http://www.summitpartners.com/Growth-Equity-Investor-Summit-Partners-invests-100-million-in-AVAST-Software.aspx
AVAST expands into the USA (with a little help from our friends!)
https://blog.avast.com/2014/02/07/avast-expands-into-the-usa-with-a-little-help-from-our-friends-2/
Security Software Firm Avast Gets CVC Capital Investment, Now Valued At $1B
http://techcrunch.com/2014/02/05/security-software-firm-avast-takes-cvc-capital-investment-at-a-1b-valuation/
It’s not “the little company that could” anymore - it’s a major corporation. Expect continued emphasis on aggressive growth - in users, customers, and revenue.
That’s pretty sad. 
Then asking why people use pirated versions of the software is illogical. I don’t like the so called aggressive marketing. Who does? Avast is famous enough to not rely on bloatware. Just my honest opinion.
Why is it illogical ??? not only is it theft and against the law to use pirated software but if ads are added into the paid versions then you are going to receive the same ads with a pirated version as well : plus with running a pirated version you are risking having your AV disabled and leaving you with no protection whatsoever.
Do you even read? I’m talking about the “seasonal sale” on the main UI panel. I can very easily block it with firewall, but that’s not the question here. I liked Avast very much in the past. Why must all good things be ruined these days? Money? How much money can buy people’s trust? 1 billion? 2? 100?
I read and understand all to well that if the dishonest slime balls who are using cracked software were to actually pay for what they have then a lot of software might not be quite as expensive, companies have to make money and losses through theft only end up hitting the pockets of consumers.
What about the people who can’t afford to pay for license? Should they be punished with spam, cause they are poor?
If they cant afford or don’t want to pay then that’s what the free version is for, as already mentioned if the paid version gets ad’s then a pirated version wont stop ads and I hardly call the few popup ads that we receive in the free version as spam and their to be expected for using a free version.
And the seasonal sale in the UI is not spam, spam is thrown in your face screen hoggin ads which the UI is not, plus you don’t have to look at it do you :
And on top of that - if these people were so poor then how did they afford a computer ???
If they can’t afford it, the seasonal sale won’t work either. And again, I’m not talking about any popup ads here.