The rewards of Snap’s creator lottery

The Future. Snapchat’s new Spotlight feature allows any user to get paid, no strings attached. The focus on content over personality stays in line with Snap’s standing as the low-pressure alternative to TikTok and Instagram... and the lottery-like feature may drive engagement without sacrificing that low-key reputation.

Influencer for a day
The Verge broke down what Spotlight — a public stream of Snaps submitted by users, where the most popular videos are eligible for a cut of a daily $1 million fund — means for Snapchat’s future.

• TikTok and Reels competitor. Snap is moving from a peer-to-peer platform to one that focuses on public content, mirroring TikTok’s For You algorithm.
• Influencer democratization. Spotlight’s $1 million a day lottery allows any user to be selected as one of the day’s top influencers if they have one of the most popular posts on the stream, whether or not they have a large following.
• Anonymous fame. Profiles don’t have to be public in order to submit to the Spotlight feature. So a user can get influencer rewards without feeling pressure to keep up with the pressures of influencer culture.

Golden ticket
Snapchat Spotlight is the first time Snap will continually pay users for content. This structure puts the focus on daily creativity over alreay-popular personalities... or at least that is what Snap hopes will be the case.

Spotlight allows for more people to reap the rewards of going viral, making the possibility of getting paid on social platforms feel more achievable. Even if the odds are slim to be chosen among Snapchat’s 249 million daily users, the feature should inspire constant engagement because it lets users participate for big rewards with no long-term effort.

ComplexCon becomes ComplexLand

The Future. Complex retrofitted their annual event, ComplexCon, into a playable virtual event. Dubbed ComplexLand, the Sims-like conventional hall will allow attendees to do everything they would in the normal event, but may give brands greater insight into how people interact with their offerings.

“Digital Madison Square Garden”
ComplexCon was cancelled due to COVID, but turns out it’s just changing venues — from Long Beach to the virtual world of ComplexLand.

• ComplexLand is a virtual, shoppable, open-world mall that users can explore using custom-made avatars.
• It will feature all of the trappings of the original event, including concerts, merch tables, and panel discussions.
• It will also include brand activations from Perrier, Adobe, Head & Shoulders, Universal Pictures, The CW, eBay, and HP.
• Each activation requires participation from attendees, such as Ebay's sneaker giveaway and Adobe’s live-art shows.

ComplexLand will run for five days starting on December 7, and is expected to bring in over 100,000 attendees.

Play events
ComplexLand is all about “activity and gamification,” according to Complex chief revenue officer Edgar Hernandez.

• ComplexLand will include non-playable characters (NPCs) that will give attendees info on events or clues to find products.
• Every element of the world is trackable and measurable, assuring that brands will get more specific metrics than any physical event.

Complex is already looking ahead with virtual offerings, stating that digital events like ComplexLand will most likely become a mainstay.

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Broadway went digital and experimental to keep the show going

The Future. Disrupted due to the pandemic, theater companies turned to platforms such as Zoom and Twitch. Finding success, some theatre companies are doubling down on tech to expand their reach and deepen their pockets, which may in turn create a new generation of theatergoers who have never physically seen a Broadway show.

Bigger stage
Nothing about traditional theater is particularly safe to do in the time of COVID, so dramatists turned to tech.

• Some partnered with streamers. Williamstown Theater Festival partnered with Audible on a slate of audio-only productions, while Broadway musical Diana filmed its play for Netflix.
• Some made their own streamers. After the success of live streaming its production of Circle Jerk, Ars Nova launched a streaming service for its 2020-2021 show season.
• Zoom more than just meetings. The Public Theater adapted What Do We Need to Talk About? to be experienced on the platform.
• From the stage to the game. New York Theatre Workshop retrofitted its production of The Seagull for Sims 4, and streamed the performance on Twitch.

Media matinee
By taking the physical and exclusive limitations out of Broadway productions, theater companies can leverage their flexibility to bring in a bigger audience.

• Productions can go beyond the matinee by introducing sliding payment scales.
• Productions can include closed captioning for the hard of hearing.
• Disabled fans can enjoy productions from home.

JCA Arts Marketing found that 43% of digital theatre audiences had never seen a performance from the company they viewed online, already showing the immense reach of digital offerings.