Amman's Top 10 summer brands

1. La Calle’s terrace, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM.
The end of Rainbow Street
While finding a good spot on La Calle’s summer terrace is no easy feat, it’s worth the hassle (it’s always crowded because 6:00-8:00 is also happy hour). The sunset is stunning, and the calm vibes of early evening Rainbow Street make La Calle one of my favorite summer places.
Try: Their pizza.
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2. Las Tapas’ outdoor garden, 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM. 
Behind the Third Circle, 06-4615061.
While Las Tapas’ service is perhaps the worst in Amman, I’m always braving the crappy customer experience to enjoy their garden. I love their dark wooden furniture contrasted again the evergreen plants and the reddish tiles. My favorite part of the garden is the pink “Majnooneh tree” (no idea what the scientific name for it is), framing the doorway.
Try: Their risotto balls and three-kinds-of-pasta platter.
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3. Vinaigrette’s open sushi bar, Sunday dinner, 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM. 06-560528.
Shmeisani, Al-Qasr Hotel. 06-560528.
I love Vinaigrette. The view of Amman at night through their glass walls is stunning, their customer service is excellent, and their food is one of the best in Amman. For fans of sushi, I do not think sushi can get any better in Amman (I haven’t tried Yoshi yet though, to be honest), and their 20.00JD all-you-can-eat sushi deal is definitely worth the money.
Try: Their all-you-can-eat sushi.
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4. Books@Cafe, Saturday/Friday mornings and afternoons. 06-4650457. 
Jabal Amman.
Books@Cafe is my favorite place in the entirety of this city. The staff are friendly, the space is awesome, the crowd is non-judgmental and eclectic, and the food is great.
I really hate how they covered their terrace, but that doesn’t make the place rock that much less.
Try: Their pizza.
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(Photo by Gulf Life Magazine)
5. Tche Tche, 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM.
Several locations. 06-5932020.
I actually really like Tche Tche. They have good food, logical prices, free wi-fi, and Amman’s best arageel. My only wish is that they’d have more comfortable chairs.
Try: Their salmon fillet.
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6. The guys’ terrace, Saturday/Friday, 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM.
Mutran Street, Jabal Amman.
While this place isn’t open to the public, I have to have in on this list because it’s one of my favorite places in town, with some of my favorite people in the world. Great company, great conversations, and a comfortable couch.
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(Photo by Gulf Life Magazine)
7. Blue Fig’s garden, Saturday, 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM. 
Abdoun. 06-5928800.
Blue Fig is really cool during the morning, very laid-back and chilled out, as opposed to the vibes this place has during the evening. Their food is excellent as well.
Try: Their New Orleans Burger.
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8. Canvas. 
Weibdeh. 06-4632211. 
I like Canvas a lot, because you can sit outside or inside and feel and enjoy the restaurant’s wonderful ambiance. Their menu isn’t very good, but the setting itself is worth the bad drinks.
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(Photo by Debbini)
9. Champions. Weekdays, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM.
Marriot Hotel, Shmeisani. 06-5607607.
This is an almost unlikely addition to this list, and I find myself surprised at its addition. Champions is a good place to watch a game with my sports-obsessed Moose; the seating is comfortable, the food is excellent, and the noise level is always optimum.

Try: Their sharing platter.
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10. Coffee and News, the sidewalk. Weekdays. 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM.
Rainbow Street.
Coffee on the sidewalks of Rainbow Street is great, especially when combined with kaek from Abu Ghosh across the street. Coffee and News is very unassuming, and I like that a lot about it.
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Via

MTV Guide to New Zealand

Tourism New Zealand is collaborating with MTV to run a series of four-minute documentaries following local musicians Scribe, Liam Finn, and the Mint Chicks. The Mint Chicks head to Queenstown and Wanaka to perform at the Rippon Music Festival at Rippon Vineyard. Liam Finn gives an intimate look at his favourite spots in and around Auckland, from the studio where he produces his music, to Piha Beach where he loves to surf and chill out. NZ rapper Scribe unearths his favourite inspirational locations, including music venues, untouched beaches, restaurants, bars and festivals. Each of the shorts ends with an invitation to book an airfare with Pacific Blue, an international line of Virgin Blue.




Click on the image below to play the Mint Chicks video in YouTube (HD)

Popoutwww.youtube.com/watch?v=L8XmUaI-QGY

Click on the image below to play the Liam Finn video in YouTube (HD)

Popoutwww.youtube.com/watch?v=1cEOlK1c-kE

Click on the image below to play the Scribe video in YouTube (HD)

Popoutwww.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4OTRqeNC3g

Credits

The Guide to NZ campaign was developed at MTV Brand Solutions by director Colin Blake, creative director Vanessa Zuppicich, senior creative Kate Davitt, creative Anna Snowman, talent and artist relations manager Simone Stopford.
Filming was shot by director Miki Magasiva, via Curious Film with producer Peter Grasse.

Eichborn Flyvertising in Frankfurt

Eichborn, the German publishing house, used flies to get the word out on their exhibition stand at the 2009 Frankfurt Book Fair (Frankfurter Buchmesse). Eichborn’s logo includes a fly so it made sense to use flies to carry the logo in a “fliegenbanner” with the words, “Eichborn, der verlag mit der Fliege” (the publisher with the fly). Ultra light miniature banners were attached to 200 flies with natural wax. The flies, carrying an extra load, tended to land on people for a rest, getting the attention of people all over the display area. The Jung von Matt team behind the campaign tell us that flies were not harmed in the process. After a short time the banner dropped off by itself.

Credits

The Flyvertising campaign was developed at Jung von Matt/Neckar, Stuttgart, Germany, by creative directors Jacques Pense and Michael Ohanian, art directors Benjamin Beck and Thomas Lupo, copywriters Norman Scholl and Lennart Frank, account managers Daniel Adolph and Christine Seelig.

LG| Next Big Thing Online

It’s the Next Big Thing”, LG’s UK advertising campaign for large capacity home appliances, supplements a television advertising campaign with an online portal designed by Kansas City motion graphics and live action company Nailgun*. The overall concept of the campaign imagines a literally larger than life world of giant size clothing drying in the environment.




When visitors land on the LG ‘Next Big Thing’ website they are greeted with an overhead shot of a beautifully animated natural LG world. A sweeping camera move brings us up close to the first in a series of iconic animation, a pair of jeans hanging from a giant suspension bridge over a lush blue-green river with a green sock attached with a clothes pin to a wind turbine. Click on the arrows to the left and right of the screen and visitors are whisked away (the pages never refresh) to other animated areas of the LG world, including an Easter Island setting with the famed statues holding a pair of giant overalls; and a cityscape where an enormous men’s shirt hangs between two office towers and giant baby pajamas wave in the breeze from atop the front entrance of an impressive government building. Clicking the on-screen “+” symbols changes the perspective yet again with the camera tilting up toward the blue sky and zooming in to the clothing, revealing both specific information about LG products and the eye-catching details of nailgun*’s animation.

Credits

The Next Big Thing digital campaign was developed at VML, Kansas City, a department of Y&R.
Design and animation were produced at nailgun, New York, by creative director Michael Waldron, director of production Erik van der Wilden.
“The idea was to create these big, fun visual comparisons,” nailgun* director of production Erik van der Wilden explains. “Details are extremely important with something like this, which is why we chose to build all of the elements from scratch in 3D, even though it meant dealing with long rendering times. We also spent a lot of time choreographing the camera moves and how visitors would navigate and experience this world. Simple, elegant animation and subtle movements were key for this working creatively”.

Schwinn|Magical Bell

Schwinn, an American bicycle brand, is urging harried young Americans to step off the rat race for a few minutes and hop on their bikes. The integrated advertising campaign is centred on the brand’s iconic handle-bar mounted Schwinn bicycle bell, using it not only as a touchstone to trigger warm associations people have for their first Schwinn bike, but as a subtle ‘wake up’ call to drop that BlackBerry, put down that videogame, strap on your helmet and go for a ride. The campaign includes print and TV developed by Cossette, as well as banners, a web site (www.RideSchwinn.com), P.R. and an extensive dealer activation program.




Print work features a shot of a woman riding on the beach, her dog right behind her, with the headline, “The world needs a recess bell.” Another execution shows a father and daughter biking on a country lane by a glimmering lake with the headline, “Never stop and smell the cubicles.”




“Magical Bell”, the TV spot, shows a woman on her Schwinn bike, riding down a suburban street, passing a young boy sitting in his yard, thumbs busy with his videogame device. She rings her bike’s bell, and suddenly, as we hear the familiar “br’ring-ding,” the videogame is gone and he’s playing on a tire swing. Next we see her headed down a city street, passing a man who’s busy yelling into his cell phone. With another flick of her bell, his phone is gone, replaced by a cuddly puppy. In the final transformation, she passes a woman with her kids pushing a laden grocery cart toward a mini-van in the parking lot of a big box store. As the bell rings, the mini-van turns into an ice cream truck.
Click on the image below to play the video in YouTube (HD)

Popoutwww.youtube.com/watch?v=36_lyLmFRhQ

“The size and scope of this campaign demonstrates to both our consumers and our retail community how strong our commitment is to restoring the Schwinn brand’s traditional role in the leisure category,” says Andrew Coccari, Chief Marketing Officer for Dorel Recreational/Leisure. “Our core message is that life is hectic and stressful, and Schwinn products are designed to help you get back on a slower track, enjoying time with family and friends in a healthful and restorative activity.”
Dorel Industries’ Recreational/Leisure segment is backing up the efforts of local retailers with point of sale materials and local market support, along with subsidized co-op advertising. In addition, Dorel R/L has undertaken an extensive study of the shopping experience for bikes and bike products that promise to increase the efficiency of the company’s outreach to consumers in both retail and online environments.

Credits

The Magical Bell ad was developed at Cossette New York by executive creative director Bill Oberlander, senior art director Anthony Alvarez, senior copywriter Jason Ashlock.
Cossette Chief Creative Officer Bill Oberlander gives an overview of the campaign. “We’re out to restore people’s love affair with their Schwinn bikes. Our overall sentiment in this campaign is to gently remind them that life isn’t a race, it’s a ride. We want people to pedal slowly. The bell is a catalyst, something that takes us back to a time when we weren’t caught up with all the trappings of twenty-first century life. We felt it was a device that was ripe for the taking, and if anyone should own this, it should be Schwinn.”
Filming was shot by director Gaysorn Thavat via Grand Large, with director of photography Ginny Loane, producer Margaux Ravis, editor Vincent Velasquez, Flame artist Stefan Coory at Machina/Grand Large. Telecine was by Jamie Wilkinson at The Mill, New York. Sound was mixed by Keith Reynaud via Sound Lounge, New York.
Music is “Just a Dream” by AM60.