Build a Creative Strategy: Use Hyper-Specificity
What is the Use Hyper-Specificity Strategy and when should I use it?
The Use Hyper-Specificity Strategy is the art of ignoring the "general public" to talk to one weirdly specific person. Most marketers are terrified of alienating people, so they stay vague and boring. This strategy does the opposite. You find that one niche habit, that one specific pain point, or that one bizarre behavior and you put a spotlight on it. Use it when your brand is blending into the wallpaper or when you’re fighting for attention in a crowded room. If you try to talk to everyone, you’re just noise. If you talk to one person about their 3 AM habits, everyone else listens. Be bold!
How to execute this strategy effectively
Stop trying to be relatable to the masses. It’s a trap that leads to mediocrity. To execute this strategy, you need to dig through your data until you find something that feels too weird to share. Look for the outliers, not the averages. If you’re Spotify, you don’t talk about "listening to music"; you talk about the person who played "Crying in the Club" 47 times in a single afternoon after a breakup. That’s the gold. Once you have that specific insight, lean into it hard. Don’t dilute it. The more specific you are, the more people will see themselves in the truth of that moment. Go for it!
Example: Spotify – "Only You" personalisation campaign (2021).
Spotify’s "Only You" campaign is the gold standard of this strategy. Instead of bragging about their massive library, they called out your weirdest habits. They didn't say "we have lots of music." They said, "You listened to 1,200 songs in 2021, and for some reason, 400 of them were sea shanties." By highlighting these hyper-specific, slightly embarrassing user truths, they made every listener feel seen while proving their data is better. Yes, it was brilliant.
Creative Strategy Deconstructed in 4C Framework
Company INSIGHT
Spotify has access to terrifyingly precise first-party data. They aren't just a player; they are an observer of every weird musical phase you've ever had.
Category INSIGHT
Music streaming usually focuses on the "vastness" of the library or the "quality" of the audio. It's all very functional and very forgettable.
Strategy:
Use individual user data to create a "Only You" narrative that transforms cold statistics into a celebration of personal eccentricity.
Customer INSIGHT
Listeners want to feel like their taste is unique, even if they're just streaming the same sad girl indie as everyone else. They want validation of their quirks.
Culture INSIGHT
The rise of "main character energy" and the desire for hyper-personalized digital experiences made a data-driven roast feel like a warm hug.
Strategy:
Use individual user data to create a "Only You" narrative that transforms cold statistics into a celebration of personal eccentricity.
Company INSIGHT
Spotify has access to terrifyingly precise first-party data. They aren't just a player; they are an observer of every weird musical phase you've ever had.
Category INSIGHT
Music streaming usually focuses on the "vastness" of the library or the "quality" of the audio. It's all very functional and very forgettable.
Customer INSIGHT
Listeners want to feel like their taste is unique, even if they're just streaming the same sad girl indie as everyone else. They want validation of their quirks.
Culture INSIGHT
The rise of "main character energy" and the desire for hyper-personalized digital experiences made a data-driven roast feel like a warm hug.
Why is Use Hyper-Specificity a Great Strategy?
Most people are boring because they're afraid of excluding anyone, but specificity is the only way to actually be remembered.
It cuts through the generic marketing noise.
Niche truths create instant emotional connection.
Specific details prove you actually listen.
It turns passive users into active advocates.
When you talk to everyone, you’re just a billboard. When you talk to the guy who listens to Gregorian chants while lifting weights, you’re a legend. Specificity is the difference between a brand and a commodity.
! When not to use the "Use Hyper-Specificity" Strategy
Don't use this Strategy if your brand is so devoid of personality that even a specific truth feels like a lie.
Steps to implement: Stop Trying to Please Everyone and Pick a Lane
Stop Looking at the Boring Averages
Most data is a pile of boring averages. Toss that out right now. You’re looking for the weirdo at the end of the bell curve. Find the person using your product in a way you didn’t intend or with a frequency that seems clinically concerning. That’s where the real story lives. Averages are for safe, forgettable campaigns that no one remembers.
Identify the Almost Too Real Insight
Find a truth that’s almost uncomfortable to say out loud. Like Spotify calling out your 'Crying in the Club' obsession. If it makes you cringe slightly or laugh because it’s so accurate, you’ve found the right hook. Generic insights are for people who want to fail quietly. You want the kind of specificity that makes someone feel like you've been reading their diary.
Build the World Around One Person
Write your copy, design your visuals, and plan your media as if you are talking to exactly one human being. Ignore the board of directors and the general public. If that one person feels seen, thousands of others who share that tiny slice of reality will too. It’s the paradox of the niche: the more specific the story, the more universal the feeling.
Resist the Urge to Broaden It
Your boss will try to make it 'more inclusive.' They will want to change 'sea shanties' to 'popular music.' Fight them with everything you have. The second you broaden the insight, you kill the magic and become noise again. The power is in the precision. Keep it weird, keep it specific, and keep it real. Don't let corporate fear ruin a good thing.
Measure the Echo, Not Just Reach
Don’t just look at impressions; they're a vanity metric. Look at how many people are saying 'Wait, how did they know?' Hyper-specificity works because it creates a high-intensity reaction in a small group that then ripples outward naturally. Success is measured in 'This is so me' comments and personal shares, not just cold clicks from people who weren't even paying attention.
Related Creative Strategy Techniques
Explore Strategy Frameworks
Use these proven frameworks to build your creative strategy and implement the Use Hyper-Specificity approach effectively.
