Cheetos & Maximum Effort Hit a Nostalgic Home Run With Randy Johnson

Cheetos just turned one of baseball’s strangest moments into a snack-fueled superstition, because some memories are too wild to fade.

In a new spot by Maximum Effort, the brand brought Hall of Famer Randy Johnson together with Chester Cheetah for a tongue-in-cheek retelling of the MLB legend's infamous “bird incident.”

During a 2001 spring training game, Johnson’s 100-mph fastball struck a dove mid-flight, exploding it into feathers.

The ad revisits that moment, but of course, minus the tragedy.

This time, it's Cheetos' iconic mascot Chester trying to steer “The Big Unit” toward a luckier ritual.

The campaign launched just ahead of Game 6 of the Mariners’ playoff series against the Toronto Blue Jays.

"An idea pitched on Thursday, shot on Saturday, live today in time for Game 6," said Chris Bellinger, CCO of PepsiCo Foods US, in a LinkedIn post.

"Cheetos x Randy Johnson x the bird incident x October baseball. The team jumped all over it," he added. 

The concept riffs on an actual Mariners pre-game ritual, where general manager Jerry Dipoto gifts broadcaster Rick Rizzs a pack of Cheetos for luck.

And it might have worked, because the Blue Jays actually won. 

The long-standing superstition continues to keep spirits up through Seattle’s playoff run.

Inside the Crunch

In the spot, Johnson eyes a blue jay perched nearby, tempted to repeat history for good fortune.

"This feels wrong," the MLB legend says, as his inner voice tells him otherwise. 

All of a sudden, Chester intervenes with a wiser play.

And that's to use Cheetos instead of chaos.

The cheetah quickly hands Johnson a bag of the world-famous snack, before the spot ends with the screen writing: "Grab a bag, Seattle. It's a lucky Cheetos thing." 

The ad quickly found traction across social media platforms, where baseball fans and meme pages resurfaced clips of the original bird incident.

Even The New York Times and Marketing Brew covered the campaign’s lightning-fast turnaround.

They gave PepsiCo Foods and Maximum Effort their praise for capitalizing on a decade-old iconic moment in sports. 

What We Can Learn from Cheetos’ 3-Day Stunt with Randy

Cheetos' latest stunt with the Ryan Reynolds-owned agency is a perfect example of moment marketing, and making the most out of hyped up sports events.

Here, we learn that: 

• Reactivity pays off, just like how this campaign moved from pitch to a published effort in less than 72 hours.
• Reviving internet-era nostalgia can re-engage audiences without relying on new product pushes.
• When brands tap into iconic sports memories and tie them to current live sports events, engagement feels authentic rather than opportunistic.

Cheetos isn’t alone here. 

Previously, streaming platform DirecTV harped on Johnson's infamous swing by having him star in a spot where he makes a "Bird Ballpark" to give the flying critters a safe space. 

The spot hoped to promote DirecTV's satellite-free service, utilizing the incident to drive that selling point. 

Our Take: Can Humor Still Hit Hard?

I love that this campaign sprinted toward the absurdity in no more than three days.

Too often, brands sterilize pop culture moments into safe nostalgia.

Cheetos is a different case. It brought Chester and Johnson together in a wink to fans who actually remember the feathers.

Heck, it had me searching for the original video to witness the iconic moment myself. 

Now, I can't help but tie the brand to my appreciation of baseball. Maybe I'll have a bag (or two) of Cheetos the next time I'm banking on a Blue Jay victory. 

In other news, Kahlúa and Dunkin’ recently teamed up with actress Salma Hayek for a caffeine-meets-cocktail crossover.

Discover the top creative agencies turning moments into memorable marketing stunts in our agency directory.