I think it boils down to two things:
1. The monkey see monkey do noobs that hardsell and make poor landers not on purpose but because they don't know better, and just try to copy what they see working (speaking for aff's and vendors copying each other).
2. They learned from DP and wafo
Nah, bro you really have to dig deeper because it's not blinkies and polished designs (even though I'm as polished with my shit as it gets - I KNOW it hurts me sometimes), it's about making money. You split test enough, you simply follow numbers and $/hard proof vs. whatever you 'think' should or could work 'cause you've been around for a while.
Will still say polished designs convert better over all however simple/spammy/stupid looking sales letters can be just as deadly if not more so when applied properly. I actually have to ask my GF to make me pages when I want them to look like that, because to me it's a sin and I actually have a hard time dumbing my shit down that much.
Designs are a good chunk of the equation, but you put up amazing design with crap copy and offer vs. crap design and great copy, guaranteed words will convert better than the most uber photochopper on the planet - combine the two and you might be deadly (and one of xxx,xxx marketers thinking/doing the same).
