Snapchat is continuing its grown-up evolution and shedding its “sext-y” reputation. Last week, it announced the launch of on-demand, personalized geofilters, filters you can swipe through that populate based on your location. Previously, the creation of such geofilters were exclusive to user generated content selected by the Snapchat powers that be and big name brands (i.e. McDonald’s) who were willing to shell out big bucks for the sponsored ad space. Now, the price tag is surprisingly small – starting at just $5!

The process for creating custom geofilters seems to be simple, painless, and even quick! While Snapchat says approval can take up to 24 hours, many users have had their filters approved in as little as 15 minutes. Bonus points if you or your friend has graphic design knowledge to design your filter. Otherwise, you’re stuck customizing Snapchat’s small selection of templates. Once created, the geofilters can be applied to spaces ranging in size from 20,000 square feet to 5,000,000 square feet and can be live for anytime between 30 minutes and 30 days. The final price of the filter depends upon all these factors.

So far, it seems two parties – individuals and brands – are the target audiences to buy into this new feature. This means you can create a filter for all of your life’s milestones like birthday parties, anniversaries, and weddings, or even on a smaller scale – like a brunch with your bestie this weekend.

On the other hand, the ability for brands to monopolize this new form of social media advertising is unchartered territory, for the most part. But it holds huge potential! Some companies, like Tech Crunch, have already dipped their toes in the water and rolled out their own filters for their office to use.

Ultimately, this will be a great opportunity for brands to conjure excitement around events or product launches, create user generated content, engage with their customers, and even notify users of their presence in a certain location. Additionally, once your filter’s timespan has run out, you will receive metrics on how it performed, including how many people saw it and how many people used it in their Snaps.
(Images via Snapchat)