• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, July 8, 2025

With "Got Your Six," a social media campaign, men's grooming brand Harry's is encouraging everyone, vets and civilians, to film themselves doing six reps of just about anything: push-ups, chin-ups, squats, whatever. Using a #GotYour6 hashtag and then nominating three more people for the challenge, it hopes to raise $300,000 for five charities, all devoted to vets’ mental health issues.

It’s not a new cause for Harry’s, which has donated $2 million to veteran-specific causes in the last (six) years. But it’s especially timely. While veteran suicide rates have been on the public’s radar for more than a decade, despite intensive intervention -- both from within the military and through Veterans Affairs -- it hasn’t budged, and in fact, has risen in recent years. The latest VA report says 17.6 veterans died by suicide each day in 2022, the latest year for which full statistics are available.

The rate is highest among youngest veterans (between 18 and 34), as well as LGBTQ+ vets. One VA study found that among transgender vets, more than half reported suicidal ideation in the past year.

That risk may grow, as the Pentagon steps up efforts to remove LGBTQ+ service members. Backed by a recent Supreme Court ruling, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has ordered the discharge of openly trans troops and directed military branches to screen medical records for those who haven’t self-identified. “No More Trans @ DoD,” Hegseth posted on X.

“We believe in access to mental health care for everyone and we know veterans are disproportionately affected,” says Maggie Hureau, head  of social impact for Harry’s, in an email to Marketing Daily. In addition to its six years of support, the brand has also formed a Veterans Council composed of leaders from each of the nonprofit partners, who are helping guide and strengthen the brand’s work with the veteran community. Partners include The Headstrong Project, Stop Soldier Suicide and the Bob Woodruff Foundation.

Harry’s hopes the challenge will have a strong appeal for this audience. “There’s a unique culture of camaraderie and support within the military and veteran communities. The challenge is designed to be inclusive and resonate strongly with this audience, and with their broader networks of family, friends, and supporters. We’ve seen firsthand how powerful community-based action can be. By inviting veterans and civilians alike to participate, this challenge amplifies support in a way that’s visible, empowering, and easy to activate.”

Harry’s has routinely allied itself with a broad array of mental health causes, including LGBTQ+ groups, such as the Trevor Project, and promoted tools like mental health screenings in collaboration with Mental Health America.

While $300,000 is a modest amount compared to the scale of the crisis -- VA stats suggest nearly 6,400 veteran suicides per year --Harry’s sees this campaign as a way to mobilize broader support and visibility.