The Holiday season is in full swing, and there’s still plenty of time to participate in Toyota’s latest charitable campaign. The auto company is encouraging everyone to snap a selfie to raise donations for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.
“We continuously seek new and exciting ways to transform ideas into action while bringing the ‘Toyota Way’ principles – Respect for People and Continuous Improvement – to life. Supporting BGCA lends us the perfect opportunity to inspire the next generation of engineers, thinkers, and leaders who will help drive the American economy,” said Jack Hollis, Group Vice President, Marketing, Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A.
To participate, users take a quick selfie, post it on Instagram and add the hashtag #Selflessie in their photo’s description box. Toyota calls the snap a “‘selfie’ for someone else-ie.”
“We have become a society of photo sharers, and one of the most popular photography styles is the selfie,” said Jason Schragger, Chief Creative Officer, Saatchi & Saatchi Los Angeles. “We take them to show off or simply to capture life’s most memorable moments. By co-opting this behavior, and flipping it, creating a powerful agent of positivity and selflessness this holiday season, #Selflessie can turn this activity into something truly meaningful.”
The campaign is in full swing and runs through January 4th. For every selfie posted on Instagram with the hashtag #Selflessie, Toyota will submit a $50 donation to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.
Toyota increased its budget from $250,000 to $750,000 thanks to celebrities including Kelly Rowland, Paul Wesley and Debby Ryan spreading the word about the selfless campaign.
Kelly shared a snap on Instagram earlier this month, writing, “Who knew you could take a selfie for someone other than yourself. Teamed up with @toyotausa to bring you #selflessie. Use that hashtag with your selfie and your pic gets Boys & Girls Clubs $50!! Let’s make it happen for these kids!”
Debby isn’t an avid selfie-snapper, but she decided to post a picture in honor of the kids, writing, “Hi this is my face. I was never super into selfies but #winter is all about the #selflessie. Aka, take that picture of your pretty face, tag it a #selflessie, and my friends@toyotausa are donating FIFTY BUCKS to Boys & Girls Clubs of America [@BGCA_Clubs]. Thanks for helping kids with your face.”
Paul took a break from filming “The Originals” and posted his shot with the caption, “Wrapped a day on set (in full flashback attire no less) by helping out a great cause. Post a selfie with the hashtag #selflessie, and my friends@toyotausa will donate $50 to Boys & Girls Clubs of America (@BGCA_Clubs). Do it up, it really couldn’t be any easier to do some good.”
Finally, People’s Jeremy Parsons took a moment to support the cause by sharing his #Selflessie on Instagram in between takes. Check out his snap and clip about the program below:
Thank you @thejeremyparsons for helping us spread the good news! #selflessie
A photo posted by toyotausa (@toyotausa) on