AngularJS 1.2.x

var app = angular.module('ngDirTest', []);


angular.module("ngDirTest").controller('PopulateCtrl', ['$scope', function($scope) {

    $scope.nameone = 'foo';
    $scope.nametwo = 'bar';
    $scope.namefour = 'baz';

}]);

var templateFactory = function($el, attrs) {
  return '<input type="text" ng-model="model" placeholder="' + (attrs.placeholder || 'default placeholder') + '" />'
}

angular.module('ngDirTest').directive('genericDirective', [ function() {
    return {
        restrict: 'A',
        scope: {
            fn: "&",
            model: '='
        },
        template: templateFactory,

        link: function(scope, element, attrs) {
            
            scope.$watch('name', function(val) {
                //
            })
        }
    }
}]);

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html ng-app="ngDirTest">

  <head>
    <meta charset="utf-8" />
    <title>AngularJS Plunker</title>
    <script>document.write('<base href="' + document.location + '" />');</script>
    <link rel="stylesheet" href="style.css" />
    <script data-require="angular.js@1.2.x" src="https://code.angularjs.org/1.2.21/angular.js" data-semver="1.2.21"></script>
    <script src="app.js"></script>
  </head>

  <body ng-controller="PopulateCtrl">
  
    via <a href="http://stackoverflow.com/questions/25139786/angular-js-creating-a-generic-directive">http://stackoverflow.com/questions/25139786/angular-js-creating-a-generic-directive</a>
    <br />
    and <a href="http://stackoverflow.com/questions/17713137/change-value-of-input-placeholder-via-model">http://stackoverflow.com/questions/17713137/change-value-of-input-placeholder-via-model</a>
    
    <div generic-directive model="nameone"></div>
    <div generic-directive model="nametwo" placeholder="i'm more special than you"></div>
    <div generic-directive model="namethree"></div>
    <div generic-directive model="namefour"></div>
    <div generic-directive model="namefive" placeholder="placeholder override"></div>


  <em>delete the second input text to see the placeholder</em>
  </body>

</html>

/* Put your css in here */