A 10-year-old ad for a suburban rollerskating rink in Reno in Nevada in the US has resurfaced online and viewers have declared it possibly the “best” and “most important” ad ever made.
The seminal piece of work is for a joint called Roller Kingdom and proves you don’t need expensive copywriters, actors or production teams to deliver a punchy, poignant message.
The ad highlights how taking your kids rollerskating can keep them away from drugs, delinquency, unwanted pregnancies and even jail time. As one child (rightly, mind you) declares: “Prison is for people who have never roller skated!”
Enter Roller Kingdom’s owner Brad Armstrong who delivers his piece to camera. “Roller Kingdom has been keeping your kids off the streets since 1999!” the enthusiastic manger extols.
There are just so many highlights wrapped up in this 90-second beauty, but surely the graffiti artist granddad steals the show and his redemption “from a life of crime” at the work’s finale. Or, possibly the desperately virgin-looking teenager who declares: “I say no to unplanned pregnancies.”
Watch it below and you’ll be rollerskating to a better you in no time…
