San Antonio – During the 2014 Del Oro Awards banquet on May 8, the Public Relations Society of America honored esd & associates with a pair of awards for excellence in media relations and merit in social media.
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The Del Oro Awards, now in its twelfth year, is the PRSA San Antonio chapter’s premier event recognizing excellence in communications. Held at celebrity chef Johnny Hernandez’s Casa Hernan restaurant, the 12th annual ceremony featured the best work by PR agencies and professionals in the corporate and public sectors.
Director of Communications Robert Crowe took home a La Plata Award of Excellence for a Friedrich Air Conditioning campaign that resulted in a national Associated Press article and extensive local coverage of the company’s charitable works.
Digital Marketing Strategist Geoffrey Setiawan won an el Bronce Award of Merit for exponential growth in Community First Health Plans’ social media followers and engagement during open enrollment of the federal Health Insurance Marketplace.
Friedrich – Schoolhouse Campaign
The September 2013 Friedrich campaign featured a press conference, press releases and media pitches when the company donated eight room air conditioners to a 114-year-old school in rural Bement, Illinois.
Wink Chapman, Friedrich vice president of sales and marketing, led the charitable effort after reading an Associated Press story about the school ending classes early when temperatures in the building soared into the 90s during a heat wave.
Results included an Associated Press article, “Texas Company Answers Ill. School’s AC Prayers,” which ran in major media outlets across the country before San Antonio media featured it prominently in print, online and television. Media in the Decatur area of Illinois covered the story extensively.
Founded in 1853, San Antonio-based Friedrich has manufactured air conditioners since 1952. Long a fixture in San Antonio, the company moved its manufacturing operations to Monterrey, Mexico, in 2007, to remain competitive in the global market. Friedrich continues operations, engineering and marketing in San Antonio, where it has emerged as a leading technology innovator in the HVAC industry.
The company has attracted high-paying tech jobs to the Alamo City as it engineers high-quality systems that are quiet, efficient and smart. It’s FriedrichLink technology created the first remotely programmable, smart grid-ready room air conditioners for B2B and B2C markets, as well as universal energy management thermostats for the hotel HVAC industry.Screen Shot 2014-05-09 at 12.14.38 PM
Community First – Insurance Marketplace
Community First entered the federal insurance marketplace in October 2013 with two goals: Educate the community about the ins and outs of the Affordable Care Act and to provide health insurance plans in the federal marketplace.
When esd and associates began working with the nonprofit health plan’s Facebook page, it had less than 500 fans. After less than one quarter of esd driving organic and advertised posts, the number jumped to nearly 7,000.
This social media campaign was part of a greater Affordable Care Act content marketing strategy that resulted in 124 percent growth in organic web traffic and a 36 percent increase in visits to the microsite www.CommunityFirstHealth.org.
Community First Health Plans was established in 1995 by the University Health System, specifically to provide affordable healthcare coverage to the citizens of Bexar and the surrounding seven counties.
With the advent of the Affordable Care Act, Community First expanded to offer policies through the Health Insurance Marketplace in October 2013. The Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) ranks CFHP as the 17th largest HMO in the state.
About esd & associates
esd & associates is San Antonio’s largest digital marketing agency. We combine research, marketing strategy, demand generation, public relations, social media, and branding to help our clients build trust with their audiences and convert trust into sales. For more than 19 years, we have helped brands find their voices and increase sales. Visit www.esdandassociates.com to learn more.

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