High school graduation is the ignition point for the rest of teens’ lives. To drive awareness, inspiration and support in reaching this critical milestone, the Taco Bell Foundation has launched #RecognizePotential, its first and largest-ever marketing campaign aimed at inspiring more teens to ignite their full potential – beginning with earning a high school diploma.

“When teens don’t graduate, potential is lost,” said Brian Niccol, chief executive officer, Taco Bell Corp. “As a brand, we don’t come into neighborhoods and build restaurants; we build and empower communities to have an impact where people live, work and play. The #RecognizePotential campaign and helping the next generation of leaders tap into their potential and earn their diploma is a huge part of that. It’s our mission to invest in teens, our team members, our customers and in our communities.”

#RecognizePotential

#RecognizePotential calls on teens to share and celebrate their potential online via the campaign hashtag, in their communities and in Taco Bell restaurants nationwide.

Taco Bell partnered with Deutsch L.A. to develop #RecognizePotential and the impactful visuals that are being featured on Taco Bell’s social channels and in Taco Bell restaurants nationwide to raise awareness for Taco Bell’s commitment to teens. The campaign includes a national fundraiser in all 6,000 Taco Bell locations through June 8th, driving awareness of unrecognized potential across its 42 million weekly customers.

National Graduation Day

In celebration of graduating high school seniors that have recognized their potential, Taco Bell is announcing June 6th as National Graduation Day. To celebrate the day, graduates can receive a free Doritos Locos Taco by bringing in the National Graduation Day Ad and their high school ID to their local Taco Bell restaurant. Taco Bell will share the ad on Facebook and Twitter the week of June 1st, including instructions on how to redeem the offer.

From #RecognizePotential to #GraduateforMas

To culminate Taco Bell’s celebration of teens and graduation season, Taco Bell Foundation joined forces again with its partner, Get Schooled, and invited teens to share their compelling testimonies, which will be featured in the annual Graduate for Más Times Square Yearbook. More than 600 teens will be spotlighted in the largest virtual yearbook on billboards in the middle of Times Square, New York City on June 10.

Of those teens, 60 students will be invited to take over Times Square alongside surprise celebrity guests, Taco Bell Foundation, and Get Schooled in the ultimate graduation celebration. Teens will participate in a VIP conversation with Taco Bell CEO Brian Niccol as an opportunity to have their voices heard, before celebrating their achievements and seeing their photos appear live on the jumbo screens in Times Square. A total of 250 teens who participate in the virtual yearbook will each receive $1,000 in educational scholarships from Taco Bell Foundation.

Taco Bell Foundation and Get Schooled have a shared passion for igniting the next generation of leaders and helping teens stay on track to achieve their goals. Together, Taco Bell Foundation and Get Schooled launched the Graduate for Más campaign in 2013 to inspire teens to make a personal commitment to graduate high school and receive access to digital tools, support and an online community to help them stay on track. Today, more than 350,000 teens have made the promise to graduate.

For more information on #RecognizePotential and the Taco Bell Foundation, visit Recognize-Potential.org.

About Taco Bell Foundation

Taco Bell Foundation is a nonprofit 501(c) (3) public benefit corporation committed to inspiring and enabling America’s teens to achieve más through its programs, partnerships, and direct financial assistance. Every year, the Foundation serves more than 1 million teens in more than 180 communities across the country and awards more than 300 grants and scholarships focused on education and career preparedness. Since 1992, the Foundation has awarded more than $75 million in support of more than 1,000 teen-serving organizations in the U.S. through customer, franchisee, employee and vendor-partner donations. For more information visit tacobellfoundation.org.