don't take the stairs

...if your name is David Belle

Parkour (aka freerunning) has been on my visor for many years, yet it has sprung up once again due to recent marketing activities (typical you might think, having just completed MBA studies!).

Toshiba advert - to with to lead requires a passion, an insatiable appetite to go into the unknown, to find new space to go beyond yourself

ubisoft included it in Assassin's Creed on Playstation

Maurice Lacroix has recently downgraded Federer, the tennis player, for their preferred ambassador Mr Belle (see ft.com article). This got me thinking about how marketing may have altered the way we perceive not only our purchases (clearly for luxury goods the air of prestige, limited availability/affordability, and excellence all comes together) but also the way we are willing to receive the marketing and the impact it can have on us as individuals and within our social groups. Aspirational are one thing, aspirational activities quite another... The uptake of parkour, an extreme sport which requires no specific tools - only an inventive mind and perhaps an urban environment -



the scene from the District B13 film can be found here
...some might prefer the Nike love advert : on youtube.com

read more about parkour on the official blog of David Belle : sportmediaconcept.com/parkour
or the Parkour TV channel
those keen to start should join the foucan forum (who can? you can?)
statistics are sparse, but here are some stats for parkour uptake in the USA

The best part of falling is getting straight back up again
David Belle, 2006