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San Jose Mercury News, Calif., Swing Shift Column - August 4, 2000
KRTBN Knight-Ridder Tribune Business News: San Jose Mercury News - California
Copyright (C) 2000 KRTBN Knight Ridder Tribune Business News; Source: World Reporter (TM)

WHACK A FLACK

WHACK A FLACK: The purpose of this game, found at whackaflack.com, is to try to hit a flack, the pejorative term for a public relations person. But instead of using a mallet, a player hits a flack -- in an online game safety -- with a press release. Ha. Ha.

The publicity stunt was created by a Bedford, Mass. Web marketing company, e-tractions.

While Swing Shift warmed up to the game and the list of P.R. complaints -- "arrogant," "paranoid," "no strategy" -- it's too time consuming.

Let's consider J.P. Carr, an account manager for Sterling Hager, Inc. He's the flack for e-tractions, and gets a big hug (is that the opposite of a whack?) for responding promptly to our phone call. But Whack! That's for contacting yet another flack, who then called Swing Shift. And for calling us afterward to gauge the success of our interview with e-tractions' CEO: Double Whack!