Our Client Experience

 

Ruder Finn Helps Novartis Launch Tropical Disease Institute

Ruder Finn worked with Novartis to drive the communications strategy for the launch of the Novartis Institute for Tropical Diseases (NITD). The main aim of the NITD is to discover novel treatments and prevention methods for tropical diseases – initially dengue fever and tuberculosis – that have a huge human toll in less developed countries. In addition, to create awareness of this initiative, Novartis wanted to attract the best scientists in the world to the NITD through the promise of innovative, life-saving research that might otherwise never be undertaken. Ruder Finn conducted a full-scale, globally-focused media program in tandem with a massive scientific symposium at the NITD headquarters at the Biopolis in Singapore. Nearly 60 journalists from 19 international markets attended the NITD media workshop. We also achieved 178 articles in 118 media outlets from 19 different markets from around the world; coverage was unanimously positive. By March 2005, the Institute had a team of 67 top researchers and scientists from 17 different countries.