Client-engagement decision, not a Rye Valley decision. This was decided inside Michael’s consulting engagement with Emil Barr (founder of Flashpass). Emil is a client. He is not part of Rye Valley and does not make decisions for Rye Valley, and neither Flashpass nor anyone on Emil’s team is a Rye Valley entity or employee. Recorded here for Michael’s context only. Reclassified 2026-08-30.
- Date: 2026-08-27
- Decided by (client engagement): Emil Barr, Michael Houck, Tatem Lindner, Grig Richters
- Status: decided
Decision
Replace the Billionaire March concept with the Ohio Billionaire Campaign: a coordinated PR and social push inviting California billionaires to relocate to Ohio, centered on personalized billboards, a leaked land-tour narrative, a press release, and an Emil-in-California content trip.
Context
Came up in the Aug 27 Emil Personal Brand Team Sync. The Billionaire March had been the prior social strategy. LinkedIn algorithm changes and missing social follower KPIs pushed the team to a more aggressive, higher-visibility campaign concept. Tatem presented the Ohio Billionaire Campaign as a replacement.
Options Considered
- Billionaire March (prior concept): rejected as less differentiated; no public records of anyone else doing it, but the execution felt less sticky.
- Post-election timing only: considered but ruled insufficient; pre-election engagement window is more valuable for follower conversion and CA-focused media coverage.
Consequences
- Next step is a dedicated planning call to finalize billboard spend, land tour logistics (real estate agent, covert photography), press release timing, and follower conversion strategy.
- Vivek will not be pitched pre-election. Mark Cuban identified as realistic amplifier.
- Tatem and Emil to align separately on how campaign converts to social followers (not just impressions).
- Michael to loop in Grig on press-release leak strategy and monitor billionaire inbox once website goes live.
Links
- Meeting: Emil Personal Brand Team Sync