[Threshold]

But isn't it a lot more fun when they do? For some people... at least.

I imagine the movie Excalibur would have been a lot less exciting if every time King Arthur drew Excalibur people just thought "yeah, that's nice. You have a sword. So do the rest of us. Big deal." It would have been very anticlimactic.

This is starting to sound like another difference of viewpoint based on preference for simulation or story. Some people want a gritty, realistic simulation, and other people want an exciting, engaging storyline. If there are no givens or common frame of reference, it is hard for the characters in a story to relate to each other. Neither preference is better, but they are quite different.

But I think you are already alluding to that in some of your posts. Ultimately, the decision as to how "famous" an item can be, or whether brands are possible/feasible, depends on the type of world you have.