Taco Bell is leveraging Instagram to promote its foundation efforts and partnership with Get Schooled.

Teens are encouraged to participate in the ?Yearbook Time. Upload Yourself into Times Square? program by using Instagram. By using Instagram, both Taco bell and Get Schooled are able to interact with teens on a social level.

?The Taco Bell Foundation for Teens has been working with our nation?s teens for more than 20 years,? said Regina Borda, managing director of the Taco Bell Foundation for Teens.

?We?ve heard from teens that they want a voice in the conversation about education and academic success,? she said.

"Working closely with Get Schooled, this initiative not only rewards the tremendous efforts made by students who have joined the Graduate for Más movement, but also gives those students an opportunity to inspire others.?

Driving engagement
Users can make the Graduate for Mas promise to graduate high school and upload their Instagram photo to http://www.graduateformas.com by June 10.

For every photo uploaded, Taco Bell will donate $100 to its foundation ? up to a total of $1 million.

Moreover, select teens will have the opportunity to see their name and photo in lights as part of the world's largest yearbook in Times Square on June 12.

Past efforts
Over the years, Taco Bell has been expanding its mobile efforts.

Last year, the fast food giant used augmented reality within its mobile application to promote the its Doritos Locos Tacos and elevate the user experience through technology (see story).

The company also previously used Instagram for a marketing promotion that let users win prizes by snapping pictures of their favorite meals (see story).

More marketers are harnessing the power of Instagram.

And, for this particular initiative, the social media network is a great way to drive user interaction.

?The Taco Bell Foundation for Teens strives to reach teens where they are already active and engaged,?Ms. Borda said.

?We chose to use Instagram to create the first-ever Times Square yearbook because we know teens are the top Instagram users,? she said.

?In fact, according to Nielsen, Instagram is the top photography Web site among U.S. teens ages 12 to 17, with 1.3 million teens visiting the site last December 2012.? 

Final Take
Rimma Kats is associate editor on Mobile Marketer, New York