Platt: CVS not so brave in banning cigarettes

no-smoking

Last week, CVS made a bold move in deciding to no longer sell cigarettes in its 7,600 stores nationwide. The decision garnered CVS beaucoup earned media, including much praise and perhaps a little criticism. But some of that praise, including from CVS vendor and global PR powerhouse Edelman, blew right past hyperbolic, calling the decision courageous.

In a guest column this week on The Future Buzz, our own Caroline Platt explains why this is a smart business move, not a courageous act of civil disobedience.

Check out her column, and let us know what you think: Is CVS courageous or just plain smart?

(Image: No Smoking Decal by SmartSignBrooklyn on Flickr.)

Jon Newman

In 2002 Jon cofounded The Hodges Partnership and has helped to grow it into one of the country’s largest public relations firms (based on O’Dwyer’s annual rankings). Jon has taught communications as an adjunct professor at VCU, speaks regularly at conferences and meetings and blogs and tweets about public relations and marketing issues.

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