Final answer:
Consumer products like collector's thimbles are given meaning through marketer's tactics, using emotional connections and commodity fetishism to drive consumption. As the imperative for constant product improvement puts consumers on a 'treadmill', it perpetuates the cycle of consumption necessary for economic growth.
Step-by-step explanation:
The meaning of consumer products like a collector's thimble is influenced heavily by marketing and brand storytelling. These meanings are largely created by marketers who tap into consumers' emotions and desires, selling them hope and the promise of a better lifestyle or social status. This is a method of amplification of demand that became prevalent after World War I, where consumers were convinced that they needed an ever-growing range of products to achieve the good life. Culture of Consumption and popular entertainment during the 1920s is a prominent example of how the promise of a better, more fulfilling life was used to drive consumerism.
Marketers contribute significantly to the meaning associated with consumer products through a strategy known as commodity fetishism, wherein commodities are imbued with transformative powers. This association influences consumers to believe that owning certain products will enhance their attractiveness, social status, or overall happiness. Additionally, the cycle of continuously releasing new or 'improved' versions of products encourages consumers to remain on what's termed a 'consumer treadmill', constantly seeking the next best thing and thereby fueling production and economic growth.