Continuing the discussion of how consumers perceive technology products, I believe there are three basic categories: Commodities (most products), Special (a select few), and Singular (the very best).

The visual for this discussion is here.

These categories are based on consumer perceptions. They’re not my opinions, or experts’ thoughts. They are how consumers think about your products. Which category your product ends up in is a function of your marketing. This is not about how good the product is, because most consumer electronics are terrific. This is all about your consumer education, your communication.

Commodities are 90 percent or more of what’s being sold at your local Best Buy today.

Special products have broken away from the pack. They are known by name to consumers. They’ve heard about these products on the news — broadcast news not blogs or message boards — or from their friends, or from colleagues. Special products have features consumers know about. Special products have attained a level of trust from consumers that commodities don’t enjoy. Consumers aspire to use the products in this category. They’re intrigued by these devices and make efforts to attain them.

For example, the Blackberry smart phone falls into the Special category. It’s known by name, most people know what a Blackberry is and does. Most people know the Blackberry is dependable, if not super sexy. People trust the Blackberry. They know it’ll hold up to the wear and tear of hard work and travel use. The Blackberry won’t let them down. The Blackberry is Special.

Nokia smart phones, on the other hand, are not in the Special category. They are commodities. Most consumers couldn’t name a Nokia smart phone. Most people don’t know what Symbian is, or what it does.

The Nintendo Wii: a Special product. People know it. People know people who love it. Consumers know exactly what it does. They know it’s easy to use. They’ve seen TV segments about nursing home residents holding bowling tournaments on the Wii. You won’t hear from anybody who owns a Nintendo Wii that doesn’t speak positively about it.

The Xbox 360, on the other hand, is a Commodity. People may have heard of it, but they know a lot more about the Nintendo Wii than they do about the Xbox 360. Most mainstream consumers couldn’t tell you one thing that makes the Xbox special, but they can immediately tell you what’s special about the Wii.

I’ll dive into the Singular category tomorrow.

And before this is over, I’ll create one defining piece on these categories.