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Isn’t it cool when you see an online advert with exactly what you’re looking for? It feels like a product was made just for you, or least, marketed directly to you. It could be something that you’re after: maybe a new jacket or a pair of sneakers.

Once in a while, you might see an advert for a product that has been tailored very specifically to someone. Not necessarily you or a general crowd, just... someone.

Here’s where r/TargetedShirts comes into the picture. Users have shared their screenshots and IRL encounters of t-shirts with oddly-specific slogans. Perhaps you’re born in April, like caramel frappucinos and have an anger problem—well, there’s a t-shirt made just for you. 

And the slogans on the t-shirts carry a similar theme throughout: they’re often crass, confrontational and in-your-face. The idea is encapsulated perfectly in the self referential parody t-shirt: “Weirdly specific shirt that mentions my birth month and is vaguely threatening for no reason”.

Here’s our favorite picks for the most bizarrely specific t-shirts that have been made in mind for, well, someone that wants them.

When you see them, you’ll be baffled that someone had the bright idea to design and sell such a product. But apparently, there’s a lucrative market for these kind of targeted t-shirts. 

To understand how the market got started, I spoke to the aptly-named Facebook page Shirts Marketed To Extremely Specific Demographics (@ExtremelySpecificShirts). Their page has a following of 54K people who also love these cringe-worthy t-shirts. @ExtremelySpecificShirts gave Bored Panda their views on the topic and a quick run-down on how it happened.

“The weird specificity of these shirts is a product of how adverts on Facebook work,” @ExtremelySpecificShirts told Bored Panda. They go on to explain that: “In Facebook, you can target your ads to people based on things such as the pages they ‘Like’, their hobbies, jobs, birth months, etc. You can also target ads towards any combination of these variables.”

#2

Smallest Target On Here

Smallest Target On Here

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White Paper Tsuru
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2 years ago

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#3

One Of My Bar Regulars Waited 84 Years For His 21st Birthday! Happy Birthday Fred!

One Of My Bar Regulars Waited 84 Years For His 21st Birthday! Happy Birthday Fred!

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Emowan
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2 years ago

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@ExtremelySpecificShirts believes that: “people found there was money to be made in creating bots to automatically generate designs based on these variables.” So, auto-generated marketing is what really drove this business to grow on Facebook, and even become profitable.

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I contacted Andrea Vahl for more insights into Facebook Ads. She is a social media speaker and consultant, who is passionate about helping businesses understand and leverage the power of social media to grow their business. She is the co-author of Facebook Marketing All-in-One for Dummies and her latest book is Facebook Ads Made Simple

“For many types of businesses, Facebook is the most lucrative place to advertise,” Andrea told Bored Panda. “Google is great when someone is specifically searching for a product, but Facebook works really well in the top of the marketing funnel to get in front of your perfect audience,” she explained. 

And these t-shirts are definitely trying to target the perfect person.

#4

My Mom Texted Me This Photo Today. Before You Ask - Yes, He Made This For Himself

My Mom Texted Me This Photo Today. Before You Ask - Yes, He Made This For Himself

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The numbers on the subreddit and Facebook page show that there’s an interest for the t-shirts. I asked @ExtremelySpecificShirts what they thought of the cult-following behind the targeted t-shirts. Do people really love these t-shirts so much? Or is it all just a running-joke on the internet?

”There's a combination of both,” the curator of the page said. ”I think older people are more likely to genuinely like these shirts and don't really see the humor in how specific they are.”

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However, this is contrasted by the niche of users that find the t-shirts ridiculous, but in a good way. @ExtremelySpecificShirts said, “I've also seen some of my followers tag me in pictures of themselves wearing targeted shirts. In their case, it's definitely ironic.“

#6

I Am A Living Donor And Blindly Donated My Kidney To A Child. I Got To Meet Him Yesterday

I Am A Living Donor And Blindly Donated My Kidney To A Child. I Got To Meet Him Yesterday

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#7

Now This Is One I Would Buy...

Now This Is One I Would Buy...

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#9

I'm Not A Mycologist But This Is Probably One Of The Best Targeted Shirts I've Seen

I'm Not A Mycologist But This Is Probably One Of The Best Targeted Shirts I've Seen

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It looks like auto-generated marketing is here to stay. And we are seeing more and more content being produced with the aid of Artificial Intelligence. This can be anything from artworks produced by machines or using deepfake technology to regenerate older actors to their prime (heads up: spoilers for ‘The Mandalorian’).

I asked @ExtremelySpecificShirts what they think in regards to today's technology and what it holds for the future. They think: “it's funny, and maybe a bit dystopian, that we thought we'd have flying cars in the future but instead, we got extremely specific t-shirts.”

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There you have it, folks—we’re living in the future right now, a future of AI produced t-shirts. Maybe this market will continue to grow. With companies collecting data on you from different online locations, a decent impression of your tastes and interests can be made of you. So, there could be all kinds of clothing tailor-made exactly for you.

#10

Sometimes He Kicks Me, If You Don’t Like It Move

Sometimes He Kicks Me, If You Don’t Like It Move

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Lytha
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I so wish I had this during my pregnancy! Stop touching the belly of a pregnant woman, it's not a magic lamp! (and above all, stop doing it if you don't know her!) (and if you do know her, please ask before if it bothers her!)

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#12

Recently Went Through A Rough Breakup, And My Dad Unironically Bought This For Me To Cheer Me Up. Made Me Laugh Pretty Hard, But I Genuinely Appreciate The Support. Love You Dad.

Recently Went Through A Rough Breakup, And My Dad Unironically Bought This For Me To Cheer Me Up. Made Me Laugh Pretty Hard, But I Genuinely Appreciate The Support. Love You Dad.

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#13

Makes Me Embarrassed To Be A Fellow Mechanic

Makes Me Embarrassed To Be A Fellow Mechanic

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Dre Mosley
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Well, I'm sure who ever came up with this thought they were saying something clever and profound.

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#15

Ran Into My Brother Randomly Out Shopping And He Was Wearing This Beauty. He Has Only One Cat

Ran Into My Brother Randomly Out Shopping And He Was Wearing This Beauty. He Has Only One Cat

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I got more information from Andrea Vahl about advertising and targeting on Facebook. If you're interested in starting your own business through Facebook, take notes!

"Anyone with a Business Page and an Ad Account (both are easily created) can advertise on Facebook," Andrea told Bored Panda. "Facebook makes it easy to 'Boost' posts on your Facebook page and that's an ok place to start, but you'll get better results using the Ads Manager," she explained. Andrea goes on to say: "When you use the Ads Manager, you can optimize around your true goal such as Lead Generation or Conversions, as well as create better target audiences."

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And that's how we reached the creation of these t-shirts too.

#16

Couldn’t Get Much More Targeted Without A Social Security Number On It

Couldn’t Get Much More Targeted Without A Social Security Number On It

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#17

My Real Life Aunt And Her Real Life Shirt

My Real Life Aunt And Her Real Life Shirt

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#20

Friend Of Mine Had A Real Gem On His Instagram Story. “Any Vertebrate With Offspring” Killed Me

Friend Of Mine Had A Real Gem On His Instagram Story. “Any Vertebrate With Offspring” Killed Me

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#23

Saw On Facebook

Saw On Facebook

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Scagsy
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2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Twenty-two years ago!! I wish it would quit with these vanishing years. I'm 44 but I should be 23. Something needs to be done.

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#24

My Wife Obviously Hates Me... A Christmas Present

My Wife Obviously Hates Me... A Christmas Present

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Rob Freundlich
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

He wrestles horror films and pugs that were born in September. That is very specific, indeed!

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#25

Where My Welder Mom's At??

Where My Welder Mom's At??

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#26

My Sister Turned 30 In June And I Saw My Chance And Took It. Even If She’ll Never Wear It I Have No Regrets

My Sister Turned 30 In June And I Saw My Chance And Took It. Even If She’ll Never Wear It I Have No Regrets

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#28

Actual Shirt Owned By Actual FB Friend

Actual Shirt Owned By Actual FB Friend

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#30

Mystery

Mystery

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Rabbit Carrot
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

She might want to throw some of that holy water on that floating head next to her

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Note: this post originally had 68 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.