In the age of social media rants and viral complaints, brands often dismiss fan petitions as desperate nostalgia trips from a vocal minority. But what if those petitions were actually precision-targeted market research—telling you exactly what products to revive, how to launch them, and who your built-in evangelists already are?
Doritos proved this in 2021. They brought back their discontinued ’90s snack Doritos 3D Crunch after over a decade of fan petitions. Pre-orders sold out in days. The Super Bowl campaign featuring a literally flat Matthew McConaughey ranked 9th on USA TODAY’s Ad Meter with a 6.40/10 score. Limited nationwide release vanished from shelves instantly.
This wasn’t luck. It was a masterclass in listening to fans over focus groups. Here’s the full playbook—2,100 words of exactly how they did it, why it worked, and how you can replicate it for your brand.
The Product Fans Refused to Let Die
Doritos 3D launched in 1998 as a radical departure from flat tortilla chips. These were puffed, hollow corn snacks—crunchier, airier, with Nacho Cheese and Cool Ranch flavors that coated your fingers neon orange. The debut commercial featuring Ali Landry in a laundromat scored an 8.33/10 on USA TODAY’s Ad Meter that year—one of the highest-rated snack ads ever.
But by the mid-2000s, Doritos 3D vanished. Production complexity (those hollow shapes broke machinery), shifting consumer tastes toward bolder flavors, and Frito-Lay’s focus on core tortilla chip lines killed it. Officially discontinued around 2005-2006.
Fans didn’t accept this. For over 15 years:
- Change.org petitions collected thousands of signatures
- Reddit threads in r/snacks and r/nostalgia begged for revival
- Facebook groups shared rare Amazon reseller finds at 5x markup
- Twitter memes showed grown adults mourning their childhood crunch
- iPetitions and forum posts multiplied like digital roaches
This wasn’t manufactured hype. Organic demand persisted for 1.5 decades across generations. Gen X remembered childhood sleepovers. Millennials discovered dusty bags at gas stations. Gen Z discovered it through parents’ stories.
Frito-Lay noticed. Marketing teams track social listening tools like Brandwatch, Sprout Social, and Reddit scrapers. Doritos 3D topped “discontinued snack” searches consistently for years.
The Announcement That Ignited Chaos (December 2020)
December 21, 2020: Doritos drops the bomb on Instagram/Twitter: “3D Crunch is BACK.”
Key moves:
- Limited flavors: Chili Cheese Nacho + Spicy Ranch (nod to originals)
- Pre-order date: December 28 (build anticipation)
- Super Bowl tie-in: Teased “big reveal” during big game
- Nostalgia bait: “You asked. We listened. Super Bowl LV quantities only.”
Result: Website crashed from traffic. Pre-orders (online-only initially) sold out in 72 hours. Frito-Lay had to airlift extra stock from factories.
The Super Bowl Commercial: Flat Matthew McConaughey Steals the Show
February 7, 2021 – Super Bowl LV: Doritos airs “Flat Matthew”—a 90-second cultural moment.
The Plot (watch it—worth every second):
- Matthew McConaughey appears on Jimmy Kimmel Live… literally 2D.
- Mindy Kaling recoils in horror as he slides under doors, gets vacuumed up.
- Door handles? Impossible. High-fives? Pathetic paper slaps.
- Crisis: He’s trapped, yearning for dimension.
- Hero moment: Discovers Doritos 3D Crunch in vending machine.
- Queen’s “I Want It All” explodes. He crunches. He inflates.
- Overshoots: Bulges 3D… then gets stuck in vending machine.
Directed by Oscar-winner Damien Chazelle (La La Land). $14 million production budget (Fox upfront + Doritos). 14 million viewers during game.
Ali Landry returns for TikTok’s #Doritos3DChallenge—reprised her 1998 laundromat role, challenged influencers to “flatten” themselves.
Why This Campaign Became Legendary
Most Super Bowl ads entertain then evaporate. Doritos 3D converted viewers into buyers through perfect product-creative synergy.
Metaphorical Perfection
Flat = 2021 reality: Pandemic isolation, Zoom fatigue, cabin fever.
3D Crunch = revival: Crunch restores dimension, joy, substance.
No hard sell. Product benefit demonstrated visually—crunch = inflation = LIFE.
Celebrity Casting Genius
McConaughey’s persona: Interstellar depth meets self-deprecating humor. “Alright, alright, alright” became “Flat, flat, flat”.
Contrast: His 3D movie star image vs. paper-thin reality = instant comedy.
Cultural Timing
Super Bowl amid lockdowns. Escapist humor hit escape velocity.
Nostalgia comforted Gen X/Millennials. Novelty intrigued Gen Z.
Pandemic subtext: “Get your dimension back” resonated universally.
Integrated Ecosystem
Pre-Super Bowl: Cryptic "3D" teasers across TikTok/Instagram
During: 90-sec ad + YouTube Extended Cut (5M+ views)
Post: Snapchat AR filters ("flatten yourself")
TikTok: #Doritos3DChallenge (800M+ views)
Retail: Limited Walmart drops + direct-to-consumer
Flat Stanley collab: Children’s book character became unofficial mascot. Schools mailed flattened Doritos requests.
The Results: Sold Out + Cultural Staying Power
Immediate:
- Pre-orders: Sold out nationwide in 3 days
- Ad Meter: 6.40/10 (9th place overall)
- Social: 2.1B impressions across platforms
- YouTube: 12M+ views (extended cut)
- TikTok: #Doritos3D trended globally
Retail:
- Walmart exclusive drops: Lines formed at 6 AM
- Amazon resellers: $15/bag (3x MSRP)
- eBay: Sealed cases hit $200
Long-term:
- Product discontinued again ~2023 (production costs)
- Brand equity permanent: Doritos proved they listen
- Fan loyalty deepened: Next revival guaranteed sellout
Why Fan Petitions Beat Focus Groups (The Science)
Focus groups fail because:
- Paid participants lie for $75 gift card
- Groupthink kills honest feedback
- No skin in game—won’t buy tomorrow
- Demographics manipulated by recruiters
Fan petitions win because:
- Self-selecting superfans—already converted
- Repeated requests over years = real demand
- Public accountability—can’t walk back signatures
- Organic amplification—shares prove social proof
- Zero cost vs. $50K focus group studies
Data backing:
- Nielsen: Nostalgia revivals 2.3x higher purchase intent
- YouGov: Discontinued products with 5+ year petitions see 47% repurchase rate
- Journal of Marketing: Fan-sourced product launches 31% higher margins
The Playbook: Weaponize Your Fan Petitions
Step 1: Monitor Demand (Free Tools)
Google Alerts: "bring back [product]"
Reddit: r/[niche] + "discontinued"
Brandwatch/Sprout: Track petition signatures
Twitter Advanced Search: "[brand] petition" since:2018
Step 2: Validate Scale
<1K signatures = Vocal minority
1K-10K = Regional interest
10K-50K = National revival candidate
50K+ = License to print money
Step 3: Limited Launch Strategy
• Announce "fan-requested limited run"
• Pre-orders only (gauge demand)
• Event tie-in (Super Bowl, Comic-Con)
• Influencer seeding (petitions signers first)
Step 4: Creative That Demonstrates
❌ "New flavor!" (boring)
✅ Product transforms user (flat→3D)
✅ Benefit shown visually, not explained
✅ Cultural metaphor (isolation→connection)
Step 5: Multi-Platform Ecosystem
Week -4: Teasers ("Something 3D coming...")
Week -1: Petition hall-of-fame shoutouts
Game Day: Main event
Week +1: AR filters, challenges
Week +4: Limited drops announced
7 Other Brands That Nailed Fan Revivals
- Crystal Pepsi (2016): 20-year petition → limited run → sold out
- Necco Wafers (2018): Fan coalition saved candy from extinction
- Bubblicious Melon (2022): TikTok campaign → Walmart exclusive
- Star Wars Holiday Special (streaming): 40-year meme → Disney+
- Fuller House (2016): Petition #1 on Change.org → Netflix series
- TGI Friday’s Jack Daniel’s Wings (2024): Reddit demand → menu return
- Jolt Cola (2021): 90s energy drink petition → limited cans
Why Most Brands Still Ignore This
Fear of failure: “What if it flops after revival?”
Short-term focus: Q4 earnings > decade-long equity
Channel silos: Social team doesn’t talk to product
“Not invented here”: Discontinued = dead
Doritos solved this with cross-functional war room: Marketing + R&D + Supply Chain + Media all aligned behind fan data.
Your 30-Day Action Plan
Day 1-7: Scrape social for your discontinued MVP
Day 8-14: Cross-reference petition signatures + search volume
Day 15-21: Mock limited launch (pre-order page)
Day 22-30: Tease on social tagging top petitioners
Template DM to petition leaders:
"Hey [Name], saw your 2019 petition for [product]. We're considering limited run. Would you pre-order? Reply YES + flavor preference."
Expected ROI:
Cost: $25K test production
Revenue: $2M+ limited run (Doritos precedent)
Brand equity: Priceless
The Bigger Lesson: Customers Already Know What They Want
Focus groups ask. Petitions tell.
Surveys guess. Repeated requests prove.
Trend reports predict. Decade-long demand validates.
Doritos 3D wasn’t gambling on nostalgia. They had 15 years of free market research screaming what to make, how to launch, and who would sell it for them.
Your fans are screaming too. Dig into Reddit. Refresh those Change.org searches. DM petition leaders. The next cultural moment hides in plain sight.
Stop asking customers what they want. Listen to what they’ve wanted for a decade.
P.S. Doritos discontinued 3D Crunch again ~2023 (production costs). Doesn’t matter. The fan goodwill compounds. Next revival = instant sellout. That’s the power of listening.