The strong third-quarter results supported Whitman, but talk of reaching critical mass in the marketplace did little to explain eBay’s triumph as a cultural phenomenon.
Its success lies in crossing boundaries of class, money, gender. ‘It is impossible to characterise an eBay user because they reflect the population as a whole,’ said eBay UK category manager Richard Ambrose (Daily Telegraph, 22 October).
The Daily Mail revelled in the downside: the possibility for fraud, security breaches and exposure of society’s undesirables. ‘Scratch beneath the family-friendly surface… and a different picture emerges. Almost every day, hardcore pornography, lethal weapons, drugs paraphernalia, counterfeit goods and terror equipment are being sold via eBay’ (Daily Mail, 23 October). Will the self-appointed upholder of Middle England values flog its new hobbyhorse to death?
Analysis conducted by Echo Research from data supplied to PRWeek from NewsNow. www.echoresearch.com www.newsnow.co.uk
