The work of McCann Erickson Belgrade creative agency, an ambiental billboard created for Fabrika Akumulatora Sombor’s “White Horse” campaign, entered the finals of the prestigious Cresta advertising festival that traditionally takes place in New York for almost two decades.

Since Srdjan Saper founded the marketing agency in Belgrade 13 years ago, it has attained significant successes at numerous regional as well as global festivals due to strenuous work and creative ideas.

The creative agency today, as an integral part of McCann Group, along with the other agencies and offices in five countries of Southeast Europe, represents the largest communication system in the Balkans.

Only six percent of the submitted works, including the one of McCann Erickson Belgrade agency’s, entered the final selection of 2010 Cresta festival. Agencies from more than 50 countries doing global business operations submitted their works up.

“Entering the finals of one of the leading world’s festivals is a huge step out from the local and regional scopes as well as an entrance into the very top of advertising world and following the vision of our agency. It is a great success that Fabrika Akumulatora Sombor’s “White Horse” campaign, that yielded excellent business results, was also recognized for its creativity. This is the very way the agency does business and our clients recognize it. The same was with the commercial for Lav beer “And the best man will give you…”, that has been mentioned many times as the best local advertisement of the previous decade, and it was a part of “You either are, or you aren’t…” campaign, that yielded remarkable business results”, McCann Erickson Belgrade agency MD Zdenka Milanovic said.

This year’s 106-strong jury, whose members made their assessments in Berlin, Budapest, Milano, New York, Caracas, Shanghai and Stockholm, is a guarantee that the works were evaluated by experts and in line with two criteria only: originality of creative idea and its performance.

“This is a confirmation of successful cooperation between the two leaders at the local market, McCann Erickson Belgrade creative agency and Farmakom M.B. Concern – Fabrika Akumulatora Sombor, as a proof of capacity of following the world’s trends within the realm of car batteries production, which is proven by our “Black Horse” and “White Horse” brands as well as in quality in rendering services within the advertising realm”, Milena Jovicic said on this occasion on behalf of Farmakom M.B. Concern – Fabrika Akumulatrora Sombor.

Cresta Festival, with the head office in New York, took place in 1993 for the first time. It has become one of the most recognized advertising festivals in the world due to the relevancy of the jury, quality of the works that won the prizes and its global approach. As the Cannes Advertising Festival awards are often regarded as identical as the Golden Lion film awards, so many people often draw a parallel between winning of Cresta Festival awards and Oscar awards.

The winner of this year festival will be announced on October 25 at the annual Cresta awards ceremony.

McCann Erickson Belgrade marketing agency has been doing business in Serbia since April 1997. It is specialized in providing the comprehensive spectrum of creative services and employs more than 80 people.

It is a part of the largest communication system in Serbia and the region, McCann Group, comprised of fifteen agencies in five countries of Southeast Europe (Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Albania).

All agencies, the members of this system, as a part of the largest global communication McCann Wordlgroup group, provide the best international experience and highest quality expertise within the communication realm with their quality and work manner.