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| Diana Hussein |
DEARBORN — When Diana Hussein started a Twitter account in 2009, she named her handle after a can of Diet Dr. Pepper on her desk. Seven years later, she turned what was inspired by one soda can into more than 40,000 water bottles for the people of Flint.
Hussein, a communications specialist for Unite Here, gave up her Twitter name to the soda company on the condition that Dr. Pepper donates $5,000 worth of bottled water to Flint.
Hussein joined the micro blogging website while taking a communication research class. She did not take it seriously at first. Neither did she expect that the social media outlet would turn into a big thing in marketing.
Now most major companies are active on Twitter. They use social media to promote products and communicate with consumers.
As more brands started joining the micro blogging website, Dr. Pepper followed Hussein.
She sent the soda company’s account a direct message in 2013. They exchanged a few messages, but it wasn’t until January that a Dr. Pepper employee started actively pursuing @DietDrPepper.
Although Twitter policy bans selling accounts, Hussein knew she could legally trade her micro blogging name for money without involving the website itself.
“A lot of people told me there’s a lot of monetary value to my name,” she said.
Hussein added that she had heard many stories of brands paying upwards of $10,000 to get names that were taken.
The communications specialist did her research. While she learned about a Twitter “black market” where she can bargain for her handle, she also found out that Dr. Pepper could not force her to give up the name under copy right laws as long as she remained active and did not present herself as the brand.
And active she was. With close to 1700 followers, Hussein’s Twitter account boasts a diverse content ranging from social critique, to sports, to national politics, to showing off her adorable cats.
“They couldn’t take it from me,” she said. “It was always up to me to give them the handle. And I like that power, I’ve got to admit.”
Hussein was concerned about the moral aspect of asking for money.
“It was shady,” she said. “Given my profession, I didn’t want to bring that kind of unethical shade over my position.”
At the same time, she did not want to be a “fool” and give up her valuable handle for nothing in return.
The soda company offered Hussein t-shirts featuring the brand, assuming that she was a big fan.
Around the time the Flint water crisis was capturing national headlines, it was brought to Hussein’s attention that Dr. Pepper Snapple Group owns a bottled water company.
Dr. Pepper had already donated water to Flint in a collaborative effort with other Soda makers. But Hussein requested that they make an additional donation if they want her Twitter name.
Hussein said she had been feeling a responsibility to do something about the crisis in the Vehicle City.
“This was the best solution for me to feel like I am helping in this story that kind of affected all of us,” she said.
The soda company distributed more than 40,000 bottles in Flint as a part of the agreement with Hussein.
Besides making a difference, Hussein was also happy for making her father proud.
“It was all for my baba,” she said.
Hussein’s new Twitter handle is @heyadiana, a bilingual play on words — hey is hey and heya is Arabic for “she is.”
What should her growing following base expect?
“A lot of Detroit Tigers baseball, a lot of cat pictures.”
Dr. Pepper praised Hussein for her altruism.
“Recently Diana Hussein presented us with a fantastic opportunity to help further by providing more water in exchange for the @DietDrPepper Twitter handle and we jumped at this opportunity,” said Dr. Pepper spokesperson Brian Bell said in a statement. “Rather than accepting any compensation for this Twitter handle as many might expect, she put the needs of her community first and we were happy to oblige.”
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