“When I founded the agency, we created the motto “The right to risk”. A person often has to take risks, to seek new challenges and moves. If we only “played” safely, then there would be no real results.” This is how Srdjan Saper, chairman of IF McCann Group, describes his company’s investment in the Scandinavian market, which is the largest Serbian investment in the North.
Namely, IPG Company, the owners of McCann World Group, recognized them as long-term partners and gave them a chance to take over operations in northern Europe. IF McCann Group has already had experience in SE Europe when it comes to linking regional agencies, which gives them an advantage, and most of their agencies are leaders in the markets in which they operate. This is also their plan for the Nordic region. “The idea is to creatively intertwine the work and experience of their agencies in the South and the North,” says Saper.
This acquisition has placed Belgrade on the European map of creative hubs. According to Saper, Belgrade has always had a special creative energy. “Belgrade is open to accepting different influences, opinions and styles, and I think that cooperation within the creative industry also opens up many opportunities for us to even further discover each other, to get to know each other better, to present ourselves to others.”
In both regions, the biggest winners are their clients. By linking professional and experienced teams through the exchange of knowledge and creativity, they have the opportunity to learn a lot and connect the attained knowledge in new ways — a move much appreciated by their advertisers. “We have a great deal of potential in services such as design and communication in health care, where our Scandinavian colleagues have a lot of experience. Also, our colleagues from the North are very interested in applying the model of our Drive digital agency to their practice,” Saper added.
When asked how Serbian clients will benefit from it, Saper said that they will try to make their partners in Scandinavia familiar with Serbian brands. “There is a saying that I recently heard from a Norwegian colleague: “Dig Deep to Aim High”. If we really understand our client business category and activity, there will always arise an opportunity to make a bold and exciting move.”
