The drugmaker may not be able to communicate its patent strategy in India effectively, but it knows how to win over employees at a company its purchased. Of course, most of them have no choice. In any event, the drugmaker has just won honorable mention in the ‘Employee Communications Campaign of the Year’ award doled out by PRWeek, the trade mag read by story-spinning flaks everywhere.

The effort that garnered attention was its acquisition last year of Chiron which, at the time, was struggling to ship its vaccines and catching heat from regulators. The judges note that Novartis had to “unite” new and existing employees in 22 countries and grapple with three languages.

In typical PR-speak, they describe how Novartis used a “two-tiered approach to first open the lines of communication prior to acquisition, then create a cohesive employee base through the theme of ‘Growing Together.’ The second tier used signage changes, employee welcome packages, and a ‘town hall’ atmosphere to orient all employees” after the deal closed.

“It was a class-act during a trying time,” says one judge. No word, though, on who exactly judges this sort of thing or what Chiron employees actually thought of all this.

Sharing the nod, by the way, is Ruder Finn, the big PR firm that has worked for Novartis for years. In fact, Kathy Bloomgarden, the firm’s ceo, is something of a personal gatekeeper for Novartis ceo Dan Vasella. She has about 25 years experience as a pr wiz and a new book called ‘Trust: The Secret Weapon of Effective Business Leaders.’

But it seems Dan values her advice more than some others. The tome is ranked just #498,770 on Amazon, where it sells for $4.57, about the same as a cup of coffee at Starbucks. Does everyone else know something that Dan doesn’t?

[tags]Chiron, Kathy Bloomgarden, Novartis[/tags]