The following slide deck was created for an IMC cause marketing course. I evaluated CVS Health's Be The First campaign which is aimed to decrease the number of smokers and educate the dangers about smoking.

1. BeThe First
IMC 624
Week 4WritingAssignment:Corporate Social Marketing: Supporting Behavior Change Campaigns
Kaitlyn Lopez

2. Purpose and focus of the
campaign
 - In 2014, CVS took a stand against smoking when they decided to no longer sell
tobacco products in their stores. CVS is committed to promoting positive health
practices.
 - In 2016, CVS kicked off the Be The First campaign, “a five-year $50 million
initiative to help deliver the nation's first tobacco-free generation” (CVS Health
Makes $50 Million, 2016).
 -The purpose of the campaign is to reduce the number of smokers throughout
the United States.
 - In addition, CVS is looking to educate young people about the dangers of
smoking.
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3. Situation
Analysis
 Internal
 Strengths
 As a large company, CVS has the funds to promote and distribute the campaign in many ways.
 Weaknesses
 CVS does not promote the campaign in store, so customers may not be aware of the company initiative.
 External
 Opportunities
 CVS was the first health company to take a stand on smoking issues.
 CVS has a large reach in the United States. The choice to stop selling cigarettes in stores made an
impact on 10,000 communities (By The Numbers, 2019).
 Threats
 Other pharmacies and health companies (ex: Walgreens) may replicate the campaign.
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4. TargetAudience
 - CVS Health is targeting several audiences for the BeThe First Campaign.
 -The first audience is “youth and young adults who use tobacco or who are at risk of
becoming regular tobacco users” (CVS Health Makes $50 Million, 2016).
 - A secondary target audience includes elementary children to educate them about the
dangers of smoking (CVS Health Makes $50 Million, 2016).
 - Another target audience is adults who are currently smokers as to help them quit
smoking (CVS Health Makes $50 Million, 2016). This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY
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5. Behavior
Objectives
 The first goal of the campaign is to “decrease by 10% the number
of new smokers amongst young people” (BeThe First, n.d.).
 The second goal is to double the amount of colleges and
universities that have smoke-free campuses (BeThe First, n.d.).
 The third goal is “to decrease by 3% the overall prevalence
amongst young smokers” (BeThe First, n.d.).
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6. Barriers and motivations of the
target audience
 -Barriers
 - Vaping is on the rise for teenagers. In an article from News in Health (2019), “About 37% of 12th graders reported
vaping in 2018, compared with 28% in 2017.”
 - 42.66 percent of those ages 18-29 years old still smoke at least one cigarette today, if not more (Kunst, 2019).
 -Motivations
 - “39 percent of consumers said they, or a family member or friend, have struggled with nicotine use — such as
cigarettes or vaping — in the past five years” which shows that people understand that they need help (Strengthening
Our Commitment , 2019).
 - “75 percent of Americans believe tobacco use is a public health problem among college students” and “8 in 10 college
students approve of policies that prohibit tobacco use on campus” which shows that college students want to make a
change on their campus (Quitting is Winning, n.d.).
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7. Positioning
Statement
 CVS wants its target audiences to be educated about the dangers
of smoking.The company ultimately hopes that those who have
never smoked will never pick up a cigarette and those who have
will take the steps they need to quit.
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8. Marketing Mix
 Product
 The “product” of the campaign is the educational materials and curriculum that CVS provides to schools around the country
to educate youth about the dangers of smoking.
 Price
 There is currently not any incentives or rewards for those who participate in the campaign. To change this, CVS could give
certificates to students who complete cessation training or adults who complete a cessation program. In addition,
universities who pledge to have smoke-free campuses can earn a plaque to display for faculty and students.
 Place
 To make the resources accessible, CVS has partnered with nonprofits around the United States to provide educational and
cessation programs to those in need (Tobacco Free for Five Years, n.d.).
 Promotion
 Promotion takes place online at https://cvshealth.com/social-responsibility/be-the-first.
 In addition, promotion takes place on social media with hashtags like #BeTheFirst and #ThisIsQuitting (CVS Health
Announces, 2019).
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9. Evaluation
 Evaluation of the campaign can be measured in several ways.
 CVS can look at studies that show how many young people are smokers, those who have quit
smoking, and those who have taken part in cessation programs. CVS can also measure youth attitudes
towards smoking.
 The campaign can also be evaluated by how many impressions and engagements were received on
social media platforms such asTwitter and Facebook.
 CVS can measure how many colleges and universities implemented no-smoking policies since the
campaign began.
 The campaign can track how many educational resources were downloaded from the BeThe First
website.
 Lastly, BeThe First can get data from nonprofit organizations who were given grants to assist with
their programming efforts.
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10. Funding
 - Funding for BeThe First is given by multiple organizations.
 -The main sponsor of the campaign is the CVS Health Foundation.The company has pledged $50
million to the initiative (Tobacco Free for FiveYears, n.d.).
 -Nonprofit Partners
 - CVS has partnered with the AmericanCancer Society and theTruth Initiative to spread
their message and award grants.
 - In 2019, CVS partnered with Discovery Education and CATCH Global Foundation to
donate $10 million “to support youth smoking and e-cigarette prevention strategies and
education” (Tobacco Free for FiveYears, n.d.).
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11. Effectiveness
 So far, CVS has done a great job of measuring effectiveness.
 The number of cigarettes sold has decreased by 100 million packs (By the
Numbers, 2019).
 In addition, “households that purchased cigarettes exclusively at CVS
Pharmacy were 38 percent more likely to stop buying cigarettes, and those
consumers who bought more cigarettes (>3 packs a month) were more than
twice as likely to stop buying them” (StrengtheningOurCommitment, 2019).
 CVS has also greatly impacted youth. Since 2016, over 13 million youth have
been provided with tobacco education thanks to CVS (BeThe First, n.d).
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12. References
 CVS Health. (n.d.). BeThe First. Retrieved November 3, 2019, from https://cvshealth.com/social-
responsibility/be-the-first
 CVS Health. (2019, September 3). By the Numbers: Perceptions onTobacco Use and Sales. Retrieved
November 3, 2019, from https://cvshealth.com/thought-leadership/by-the-numbers-perceptions-on-
tobacco-use-and-sales
 CVS Health. (2019, June 17). CVS Health Announces Aggressive New Plans to Combat the Significant
Rise in E-Cigarette Use AmongYouth. Retrieved November 3, 2019, from
https://cvshealth.com/newsroom/press-releases/cvs-health-announces-aggressive-new-plans-
combat-significant-rise-e
 CVS Health. (2016, March 10). CVS Health Makes $50 Million Five-Year Commitment to Deliver the
Nation's FirstTobacco-Free Generation As Next StepToward Smoke-Free Living. Retrieved November
3, 2019, from https://cvshealth.com/newsroom/press-releases/cvs-health-makes-50-million-five-year-
commitment-deliver-nations-first
 CVS Health. (n.d.). Quitting is Winning. Retrieved November 3, 2019, from
https://cvshealth.com/sites/default/files/cvs-health-tobacco-free-generation-quitting-is-winning-
infographic.pdf
 CVS Health. (2019, September 3). Strengthening Our Commitment to Help EndTobacco Use.
Retrieved November 3, 2019, from https://cvshealth.com/thought-leadership/strengthening-our-
commitment-to-help-end-tobacco-use
 CVS Health. (n.d.).Tobacco-Free for FiveYears. Retrieved November 3, 2019, from
https://cvshealth.com/thought-leadership/tobacco-free-for-five-years
 Kunst, A. (2019, September 3). Americans who smoke cigarettes in 2018, by age. Retrieved November
3, 2019, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/761614/people-who-smoke-cigarettes-usa/.
 News in Health. (2019, February). Vaping Rises AmongTeens. Retrieved November 3, 2019, from
https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2019/02/vaping-rises-among-teens.
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