Srđan Šaper - Biography

Srdjan Šaper: art career

Before entering the world of marketing, more than three decades ago, Srdjan Saper was very successful in music, film and directing TV commercials. He is also well-known as the founder and member of the band VIS Idoli one of the bands that initiated the New Wave on culture scene on the former Yugoslavia in the 1980s as well as a lead actor in one of the cult movies "Davitelj protiv davitelja".

Srdjan Šaper: business career

After music career, he entered the world of marketing. With more than three decades of experience he contributed to numerous campaigns for local and regional brands. Prior to setting up the McCann agency, he worked as Creative Director, TV Commercials Producer and Director for the SM Delo, Borba, Idols & Friends, Ogilvy & Mather, and Saatchi & Saatchi agencies. Today, he is a chairman of I&F McCann Grupa one of the leading marketing communications system in southern and northern Europe.

I&F McCann Grupa employs over 650 talented people as one of the leading communication systems, which is confirmed by the numerous domestic and international clients, as well as by more than 800 awards at the most important local, regional and international festivals. I&F McCann Grupa is the first communications system in this region to win two Cannes Lions at the worlds’ most significant advertising festival. McCann Skopje received the Golden Lion in 2009 for the campaign for raising awareness about testicular cancer "Check them out", while two years later in 2011 McCann Beograd received a Bronze Lion for an anti-suicide campaign "You Are Not alone".

At the Festival of Integrated Communications Kaktus, McCann Beograd named Agency of the Year in 2015, 2016 and 2017. In 2015 I&F McCann Grupa won Serbia Managers Association Award (SAM) for Regional project. Agency UM Beograd won the Golden Prize for the "Fanta & Yasserstain" campaign in the "Best Social Networking Campaign" campaign at the 18th "SEMPL" Media Trends Festival.

At the first Effie Awards ceremony held in Serbia in 2017, the world's most prestigious award which recognizes and rewards effectiveness in marketing, the highest number of awards was won by McCann Beograd and UM Beograd, making this group of agencies the most effective in Serbia. McCann Zagreb and UM Zagreb collectively represent the most effective group of agencies in Croatia according to the published results of Effie Efficiency Index. In addition, McCann Zagreb took the most prestigious award – the X Award for the Agency of the Year, at this year’s Days of Communication, the most important national advertising festival in Croatia. In 2018, within Effie Serbia, McCann Beograd won two bronze medals, while at Effie Croatia UM Zagreb won the Grand Prix, 2 gold and one silver with the client Zagrebačka pivovara.

All agencies operating within I&F McCann Grupa are part of one of the world's largest agency networks, McCann Worldgroup, present in over 180 cities in more than 120 countries, owned by one of the leading global multinational communication companies, Interpublic Group (IPG) with headquarters in New York. I&F McCann Grupa agencies provide their partners with a range of marketing services: designing and realizing creative solutions, digital, promotional activities, event organization, design, planning and leasing of media space, PR, production, communication in the field of health care and creating TV content.

Srđan Šaper: awards

In 2011 he received a Lifetime Achievement Award for a creative contribution to the development of market communications, awarded by the Association for Market Communications (UEPS). In 2003 the same association presented him with a Special recognition for improvement and development of the marketing profession, and he is also a winner of the “Grand Slam” Award for contributions to Serbian and regional advertising at The Night of the AdEaters.

Through his experience and knowledge, he contributes to the work of numerous business associations and humanitarian organizations. During his career, he was a member of several boards at public institutions, professional and business associations, including the Open Society Fund, the Sava Congress Center, the Belgrade Fortress, the City Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments of the City of Belgrade, and the Belgrade Philharmonic, where he served as Chairman of the Board of Directors. He is one of the founders and member of the Managing Board of the Fund "Maja Maršićević-Tasić. He is also a member of the Serbian Association of Managers (SAM), the International Advertising Association (IAA), the American Chamber of Commerce in Serbia (AmCham) and the Serbian-British Business Club.

Srdjan Saper graduated from the Department of Film and Television Directing at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts of the University of Belgrade, where he occasionally held a lecture on postgraduate studies. He is the initiator of numerous projects in the field of culture and communication, and often participates at numerous international conferences as a lecturer in the field of advertising and marketing. It is also known for his continuous support to numerous humanitarian organizations and projects in Serbia and other countries.

Additional Links:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sr%C4%91an_%C5%A0aper

https://rs.linkedin.com/in/srdjansaper

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0764543/

http://marketingmagazin.eu/2017/06/19/taking-effective-level/

http://www.media-marketing.com/en/news/mccann-and-um-are-the-most-effective-group-of-agencies-for-market-communications-in-croatia/

https://cordmagazine.com/feature/interview-srdjan-saper-founder-and-chairman-if-mccann-grupa-at-any-given-moment-we-are-all-always-at-the-beginning/

www.mccann.co.rs