I saw this short video explaining why Americans build with wood a while ago.
(you know, when the CA wildfire was still on the news front)
It’s weird, right?
America, the most powerful country in the world, is building its homes with risky, cheap wood. It’s not like they don’t have concrete.
The video claimed:
“It’s what economists call The Path Dependence Feedback Loop.”
It started in the 19th and 20th centuries.
America was expanding into the Wild West at great speed.
Wood was everywhere.
So… it became the logical first choice.
Over time, wood stood out as a cultural symbol of the American family—reflecting their roots. That’s why, even though concrete is stronger and fireproof…
Most Americans insisted:
“A beautiful wood house is what I call a cozy home.”
Now, it’s very (very) hard to change.
Because once society adopted a certain way…
It drives the whole industry in that direction. Contractors specialize in wood construction. Manufacturers produce wooden materials. Craftsmen hone their wood skills.
This reminds me of several Path Dependence Feedback Loops in e-commerce marketing.
Take email marketing, for example –
Design-heavy, image-driven emails.
Why is that the standard?
There is zero proof that it works better.
In fact…
Whenever I replace a client’s pretty email with plain-text, story-driven email –
I win.
(no exception)
But the whole industry has collectively agreed that “this is how e-commerce emails should look like,” and…
Softwares like Klaviyo, tools like Figma, and graphic designers (who have zero clue about buyers’ psychology) flock into the industry to support this direction.
Now, it’s hard to change.
I’m not saying this to complain.
Instead, it’s good news for me.
This means the competition is low. It’s easy for me to beat the poster ads disguised as emails.
(After all, I can only work with 2 to 3 retainer clients at any time. I don’t need the whole industry to change)
Talk soon,
– WYH