The Importance of Specificity in Innovation
Consumer insights create the foundation for successful product innovations. But when we let generalization take over, we can lose the very thing that makes innovation possible and necessary: the messy, nuanced reality of human life.
In the race to create products with mass appeal, it can be easy to fall into a common trap: creating things that everyone will like. This sounds like a no-brainer. Brands rely on rigorous market research—quant surveys, focus group summaries, and trend reports—to understand what is going on with the target consumer. But these reports can sand down the unique edges of human behavior until only the smooth, safe middle remains.
This often results in products that are replicable, safe, and sometimes uninteresting because they are based on the same generalized data everyone else has.
Uniqueness and differentiation don’t come from the median. It comes from the margins. It comes from understanding the specific, unpolished reality of a single consumer’s life and using that specificity to drive mass appeal. In other words, you can’t innovate for everyone until you innovate for someone.
The Problem with Over-generalization in Innovation
Traditional market research is invaluable for validation, but it isn’t always designed for inspiration. By the time a consumer’s experience makes it into a slide deck, it has been translated multiple times:
From life to language: The consumer tries to explain a complex emotion in words.
From language to moderator: The moderator interprets what they think the consumer meant. Even the moderator’s framing of the question asked can impact the output.
From moderator to report: The report generalizes the commonalities across the sample group.
From report to team: You receive a bullet point that says, “Consumers value convenience.”
This process acts like a game of Telephone, where the nuance is stripped away at every step. It’s the view of New York City from the airplane, without actually experiencing a walk through the streets of Manhattan.
The Power of Specificity: The "Catherine" Effect
Let’s look at the difference between a generalized insight and a specific human truth.
The Generalization: “Busy parents need snacks on the go because they don't have time to sit down.”
The Output: You will likely generate ideas like mess-free wrappers, cup-holder friendly shapes, or high-protein energy bites. These are fine, but they are exactly what your competitors are launching.
The Specificity: “Catherine, a 33-year-old new mom, feels like her entire life now belongs to her infant. She habitually stays in her car for an extra 20 minutes in the daycare parking lot just to have a moment where no one is touching her.”
The Output: Now you aren’t just solving for “hunger” or “convenience.” You are solving for emotional reclamation and sanctuary. The ideas generated from Catherine’s specific reality—perhaps a snack that forces a slow, mindful ritual, or packaging that feels like a gift to oneself—will be fundamentally different and deeply more resonant.
This is the paradox of specificity: The more specific you are to one person’s deep emotional truth, the more universal the appeal becomes. We all have a “Catherine” moment, even if we aren't new moms. We all want to salvage our stolen moments of peace.
How to Reclaim Specificity in Your Process
1. Co-Create with Consumers
Instead of solely relying on reports that interpret consumer behavior, bring the consumers into the room with you. At ITG, we bring in Creative Consumers® associates—articulate, creative problem solvers—to work side-by-side with your team. You don’t have to guess what they mean because you can ask them. And it’s integrated into every idea they generate. You aren’t simply observing consumers from behind the glass, you’re stepping through to the other side to hear the emotion in their voice.
2. Differentiate The Premise from The Promise
A common mistake is confusing a “wish” for an “insight.”
A Wish (The Promise): “I want a snack that gives me energy.” This is a benefit, what the consumer ultimately gets.
An Insight (The Premise): “I feel like I'm constantly running on empty, and I'm terrified of dropping the ball.” This is the tension, the why behind the want.
Great innovation starts with a specific, undeniable Premise. If you get the Premise right, the Promise (the benefit your product offers) becomes the hero of the story.
3. Defend the Edges
As you move closer to launch, there is a natural gravitational pull toward safety. Stakeholders will understandably ask, “Is this broad enough?” or “Will everyone get this?” In those moments, it is tempting to smooth out the specific details that sparked the idea in the first place to ensure it appeals to the widest possible audience.
But remember: those raw and distinct edges are often where the magic lives.