East Coast Music Awards 2026
Client: East Coast Music Association
Event: ECMA 2026 in Sydney, Cape Breton
Scope: Full-service marketing, communications, design, and digital campaign delivery.
Duration: December 2025 – May 2026
How Cyber PR Army Powered the Marketing, Design, and Communications Engine Behind the East Coast Music Awards
This multi-tiered project started with branding variants specific to the event. When the fundamentals were created we started on:
Printed guides
Social media
PPC Ads
Signage
Web & App
Merchandise
The Challenge
The East Coast Music Awards is one of Atlantic Canada’s most significant cultural events; a week-long celebration of music, industry, and community that brings together artists, delegates, fans, sponsors, and media from across the region and beyond.
The East Coast Music Association is a large organization, and ECMA week, including the awards, is its flagship event. They needed a team that could:
- Develop and execute a multi-channel marketing strategy spanning social media, email, web, print, signage, ticketing, and sponsor communications
- Manage a high volume of fast-moving deliverables across multiple stakeholders, sponsors, venues, and approval streams
- Maintain a consistent, professional brand presence from the first announcement through to post-event wrap-up while managing two distinct visual identities (one for the association, one for the Sydney 2026 event)
- Navigate complex sponsor brand guidelines, including government sponsors with strict logo and presentation requirements
- Adapt in real time as event details, programming, sponsor needs, and timelines evolved
Cyber PR Army stepped into the role as a strategic communications partner embedded in every public-facing aspect of the event.
The Scope
Our support touched nearly every public-facing and stakeholder-facing part of the ECMA 2026 event cycle
| Area | Examples |
|---|---|
| Social Media | Strategy, copywriting, scheduling, campaign development |
| Graphic Design | Social assets, signage, print materials, digital screens, gig guides |
| Ticketing | Pass promotion, TIXR assets, VIP and event-specific campaigns |
| Sponsor Deliverables | Recognition posts, decks, signage, logo placements, reporting |
| Email & Newsletters | Campaign planning, production support, audience communications |
| Website | Content publishing, web graphics, event pages |
| Print & Signage | Street banners, stage signage, passes, guides, postcards, posters |
| Nominee & Awards | Category graphics, winner posts, honorary awards, Fans’ Choice |
| Media Support | Press conference assets, media kits |
| Event Promotion | Conference, showcases, galas, export, networking events |
| Operations | Forms, intake workflows, survey distribution, reporting |
This wasn’t a “set it and forget it” engagement. A significant portion of the work involved translating unclear requests into actionable tasks, coordinating between stakeholders, managing revisions, and turning fragmented inputs into polished, public-facing materials.
As our designer put it: “It was much larger scale than usual. A full-ranging campaign with all types of projects that required pretty much all the skills we had to offer.”
The Numbers: Production at Scale
Across the project, Cyber PR Army coordinated and/or created approximately:
- 1,434 Total assets produced
- 1,245 Social media assets
- 108 Physical, print, signage & on-site assets
- 72 Digital, web, advertising & platform assets
- 9 Document-based deliverables
Behind the Design: Building a Visual Identity at Scale
Creating 1,434 assets that feel cohesive across social media, print, signage, web, email, and video doesn’t happen by accident. It takes deliberate systems, creative consistency, and a deep understanding of the brand.
Two Brands, One Campaign
ECMA required our team to maintain two distinct visual identities simultaneously: one for the East Coast Music Association as an organization, and one specifically for the Sydney 2026 event. ECMA expects a fresh visual identity for each year’s event, which meant building something new from the ground up while respecting the association’s existing brand guidelines.
Building the Visual Foundation
Before a single social post or banner was designed, our team:
- Created a full set of event logos for ECMA 2026 in English, French, and bilingual versions, across all colour variations and alignments.
- Developed a visual moodboard of colours, fonts, and shapes to guide the look and feel of all 2026 assets.
- Exported a library of graphic shapes, gradients, and elements that could be linked to any project, ensuring visual cohesion across hundreds of assets, both internally and by sponsors creating their own assets.
- Maintained a brand reference document that was consulted throughout every stage of design.
“I created and kept a basic visual brand document on hand and kept referencing back to it. With tone and audience, I didn’t stray too far from ECMA’s full brand guidelines, which has a vibrant and punchy vibe.” – Danica, Graphic Designer
The Process: Templates, Spreadsheets, and Controlled Creativity
With the sheer volume of assets required, our designer developed a system that balanced efficiency with quality:
- Brief → Draft → Approve → Fill: Complex assets like gig guides and signage began as templates. Basic drafts were approved before being populated with data as information arrived.
- Spreadsheet-driven organization: Tracking hundreds of assets, versions, and approvals required meticulous spreadsheet management.
- Consistent asset libraries: A dedicated folder of shapes, gradients, and logos was linked across all active projects to maintain consistency.
- Regional authenticity: Images featured East Coast artists, and music used in videos and reels showcased East Coast musicians, keeping the content rooted in the community it celebrated.
“Some assets can be created in one go. Others, like signs and gig guides, start as templates. I like to get approval on basic drafts before filling them in with tonnes of data, then they get filled in as new info arrives. Always referencing back to the brand board and old assets to keep the look consistent.” – Danica, Graphic Designer
The Sponsor Challenge
One of the most complex design challenges was managing multiple sponsor brand guidelines simultaneously. Government sponsors in particular came with strict requirements around logo placement, sizing, colour usage, and bilingual presentation. Each sponsor had their own rules, and respecting everyone’s brand while maintaining ECMA’s visual identity required careful juggling.
Standout Work
The designs that generated the most positive feedback were often the most tangible:
- Gig and Conference Guides: Complex, data-heavy documents that required constant schedule updates but emerged as beautifully designed, practical tools for attendees
- T-shirt designs: A massive hit with delegates, artists, and fans alike
- Banners and signage: Seeing the designs printed and installed across Sydney, Cape Breton brought the campaign to life in the physical world
“I’m probably most proud of our printed assets because seeing something tangible out in the world that I had a part in making is always a proud moment. The Gig and Conference Guides were a lot of work and turned out very pretty… and seeing photos of the banners and signs actually being printed was very cool.” – Danica, Graphic Designer
Side A of the Music Program Guide before folding
Social Media: Building Momentum
ECMA 2026 required a steady stream of content designed to keep audiences engaged year-round, not just during event week. We developed and delivered campaigns across multiple content pillars:
- Nominee & Awards: 214 nominee posts, 134 category posts, 40 winner posts, 43 Fans’ Choice posts, 16 honorary winner posts
- Ticketing & Passes: 60 ticket posts, 5 ticket reels, VIP and early-access promotions
- Sponsors: 240 sponsor recognition posts across multiple partners
- Events & Programming: 59 Songwriters’ Circle assets, 31 event posts, 38 Facebook event covers, conference and showcase content
- Community & Engagement: Did You Know posts, alumni stories, volunteer recruitment, wellness content, competitions, hotel and host city content
- Video: 31 general reels, showcase artist reels, Fans’ Choice reels, ticketing reels, and more
This volume required ongoing coordination between strategy, copywriting, design, approvals, scheduling, bilingual considerations, sponsor requirements, and last-minute corrections.
Beyond Social: Print, Signage & On-Site Experience
Digital marketing was only part of the picture. We also coordinated approximately 108 physical and on-site assets, including:
- Music and Conference Gig Guides
- Street banners and pull-up banners
- Stage and venue signage
- Event passes and credential design
- Podium banner and lower-third graphics
- Merch designs (including the hit t-shirts) and fabric patterns
- Event-specific posters (Queer Brunch, Volunteer, Needs Week, and more)
- Export tent cards
- Dairy Farmers of Canada postcards
This was one of the most operationally demanding parts of the project. Many assets required sponsor approvals, logo changes, print specifications, bleed checks, revised locations, QR code updates, bilingual considerations, and rapid turnaround.
The gig guides were a particular challenge. Schedules for an event of this scale change constantly—and each change meant updating complex, multi-page documents under tight deadlines.
“Drafting the schedules for the gig and conference guides were tricky because, the nature of an event like this, unavoidable, but schedules just kept changing.” – Danica, Graphic Designer
Digital Assets & Integrations
We produced approximately 72 digital and platform assets that supported the broader infrastructure around ticketing, event discovery, sponsor visibility, and public information:
- Schedule app with local promos
- Email headers and newsletter graphics
- TIXR ticketing images
- Digital billboard and transit ad creative
- Website graphics
- Digital screen assets for venues
- Sponsor Summit invitations
- Website headers
- Web banners
- Form graphics
The Results
Website & Search Performance
(September 1, 2025 – May 28, 2026)
Metric | Result |
Total page views | ~236K |
Active users | ~90K |
New users | ~89K |
Tracked events | ~590K |
Organic search clicks | 22,961 |
Organic search impressions | 186,204 |
Click-through rate | 12.33% |
Average search position | 7.92 |
Top traffic sources included Organic Search (~55K sessions), Direct (~54K sessions), Organic Social (~20K sessions), and Referral (~5.9K sessions).
Festival Period Performance
(May 10–24, 2026)
Metric | Result |
Page views | 62,706 |
Total visitors | 17,487 |
Sessions increase vs. previous period | +293.37% |
Social Media – Festival Period
Platform | Key Metrics |
728,017 views · 257,547 unique viewers · 27,361 engagements · +407 new follows | |
+320 followers · +68.29% total engagements vs. previous period | |
1,815 impressions · 77 engagements · +8 new followers |
Email Performance
(May 28, 2025 – May 27, 2026)
Metric | Result |
Total contacts | 5,145 |
Subscribed contacts | 4,325 |
Total contact growth | +5.3% YoY |
Email supported newsletters, announcements, delegate communications, ticketing reminders, nomination updates, conference information, and event-week messaging.
Media Coverage
The campaign generated confirmed media coverage across local, regional, national, industry, and niche music outlets, including:
- Billboard Canada – Nomination announcement and leading nominee coverage
- CBC News Nova Scotia / The Canadian Press – Nominations and ECMA’s organizational direction
- CTV News Atlantic – Nominations, gala results, and Moncton 2027 host announcement
- SaltWire / Cape Breton Post – Repeated festival coverage, gala results, and photo features
- VOCM – Newfoundland and Labrador artist and industry wins
- Roots Music Canada – Genre-specific nominee coverage
- The Coast – Full nominee list publication
- Canadian Press syndication – Republication through Yahoo News Canada, The Globe and Mail, The Toronto Star, and more
Coverage themes spanned nominee announcements, festival previews, awards results, host city stories, artist features, genre-specific coverage, and the Moncton 2027 announcement.
What Made This Work
Our work with ECMA 2026 succeeded because the team:
Adapted quickly
Event details, sponsor needs, and programming evolved constantly. We kept pace without sacrificing quality.
Produced at scale
1,434 assets across social, print, digital, signage, email, web, and more—all while maintaining two distinct brand identities.
Maintained visual cohesion
A purpose-built system of brand documents, moodboards, shape libraries, and templates ensured every asset from a single Instagram post to a full gig guide felt unmistakably ECMA 2026.
The campaign maintained a visible, active, and professional public-facing presence from the first announcement through post-event wrap-up across every channel that mattered.
Looking Ahead: ECMA 2027
Before ECMA 2026 even wrapped, we began early creative and communications support for ECMA 2027 in Moncton, including logos, an announcement video, and bilingual creative direction, ensuring the organization maintained public-facing momentum through the transition.
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