All of them get you the user's undivided attention, but the latter makes the user feel a sense of belonging, makes the user love what you have to offer and come back for more. 

Unfortunately, it is the toughest thing to do something that fits naturally into what the user wants at the moment. At least at first. 

All the data you collect is meaningless unless you are using it to model what the user wants at any given moment. But no user will give you data in the hope that you will some day reach this stage. In fact, the user has come to expect less than this from you because that is what she has been getting all this while. 

And now you can change that. Now you can delight.

While the start has to be in doing the unexpected, the interactions that come out of that ought to be used to build the level of trust a natural fit will bring with it. 

Otherwise, standing out doesn't serve the purpose. As you're always trying to stand out.

Once you have stood out and have been noticed, it's time to get personal.

An aside: I'm now trying to stand out through anagrams and little rhyming verses.

Photo Credit: The cover from Lee Child's latest thriller 'Personal'.