A Michigan woman was able to get Dr Pepper to donate $5,000 worth of bottled water because she chose a Twitter username seven years ago that the company really wanted.
Diana Hussein chose the Twitter handle @DietDrPepper in 2009, the 29-year-old told NBC Chicago on social media.
“I literally had a can of Diet Dr Pepper on my desk. It was the closest thing to me when I needed to come up with a name,” Hussein said.
She wrote mostly about sports and cats before she offered it to the soda manufacturer in 2013 because she wanted one that suited her better, she told NBC Chicago.
When she reached out to Dr Pepper’s parent company, Dr Pepper Snapple Group (DPSG), they gave her an offer – an offer of company swag.
When she learned DPSG is behind the DeJa Blue water brand, Hussein instead asked that they donate water bottles to Flint, Michigan, which is currently dealing with a water crisis due to lead contamination in city pipes.
The company agreed, and told NBC Chicago in a statement that in early January it made a “sizeable contribution of water through our Flint sales and distribution branch to a number of community organizations.”
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The company donated $5,000 worth of water, which is about 41,000 bottles, according to Hussein.
“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 Snapple Group 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.”
You can now follow Diana Hussein on Twitter as @heyadiana.
