Mark McClennan, APR, Fellow PRSA

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Mark W. McClennan, APR, Fellow PRSA, is the general manager of C+C's Boston office. C+C is a communications agency all about the good and purpose-driven brands. He has more than 20 years of tech and fintech agency experience, served as the 2016 National Chair of PRSA, drove the creation of the PRSA Ethics App and is the host of EthicalVoices.com

Best Ethics Advice of 2018

By Mark McClennan, APR, Fellow PRSA • December 31, 2018 • 0 Comments

Today is New Year’s Eve. I realize many people are taking the day off of leaving early to spend time with family and friends. While Ethical Voices launched in Q4 2018, it has already reached tens of thousands of professionals and the response has been overwhelming.

So on this day as we look forward and look back, I wanted to briefly share some of the highlights of Ethical Voices 2018 – The best ethics advice and most quotable quotes from those communications and PR professionals I interviewed.

And of you like these, wait to you see what I have in store for 2019.

My Ethical Voices Christmas Present to You

By Mark McClennan, APR, Fellow PRSA • December 24, 2018 • 0 Comments

Good morning, If you are one of the few people working today and chose to check out my blog this week – thank you. I appreciate you spending some of your precious time with me. If you want to give me a Christmas gift – the best gift you can

Ethics of Diversity and Inclusion – How Not to Be a Stepford Agency – Mickey Nall, APR, Fellow PRSA

By Mark McClennan, APR, Fellow PRSA • December 17, 2018 • 1 Comment

PR Ethics issues around diversity and inclusion

Joining me on this weeks’ episode is Mickey Nall, APR, Fellow PRSA, a Professional-In-Residence at the University of Florida, the former Managing Director of Ogilvy Atlanta, and a former Chair of PRSA. What I love about Mickey is the wit and insight he brings to every discussion.

In this week’s episode, he discusses:

The ethics of diversity and inclusion (How to avoid being a Stepford firm and how to take the first inclusion steps)
How to fight unconscious bias
The ethics of time sheets
The importance of breathing

Ethics, 9/11, Influencers and Agency Finances – Martin Waxman

By Mark McClennan, APR, Fellow PRSA • December 10, 2018 • 0 Comments

InsidePR co-hose speaks with Ethical Voices

I first met Martin more than a decade ago through PRSA’s Counselors Academy. He is one of the most genuine and thoughtful PR professionals and has turned his focus to helping educate others. He is one of the weekly hosts of the Inside PR podcast and was kind enough to agree to an Ethical Voices interview.

In this week’s Ethical Voices interview, Martin discusses:

How he and P&G responded to a campaign that happened during 9/11
What agencies should consider when writing off expenses during a crisis
Third-party influencers and disclosure
The best ethics advice he ever received

Ethics, Anthrax and Changing Consumer Behavior – Judy DeRango Wicks

By Mark McClennan, APR, Fellow PRSA • December 3, 2018 • 2 Comments

How to ethically respond to false information

Judy DeRango Wicks, APR, Fellow PRSA, and I had the pleasure of working together for more than a decade while I led the Schwartz Communications’ Fiserv team. Together, we changed the way of millions of Americans bank and pay bills, moving from writing and mailing checks to paying bills online.

In this Ethical Voices interview, Judy discusses:

The ethics of determining if you should respond to a false, but tempting, claim
Ethics concerns in research and data
Instilling ethical decision-making across the corporate communications team
The best ethics advice she received

Ethical Challenges in Security Public Relations and Silicon Valley – Bryan Scanlon

By Mark McClennan, APR, Fellow PRSA • November 26, 2018 • 0 Comments

Bryan Scanlon is the principal of Look Left Marketing. I first met him more than 15 years ago when he joined Schwartz Communications and he shared an office with me. I quickly realized he was one of the sharpest, most insightful PR pros I have ever known.

In his interview with Ethical Voices, Bryan provides great insight and advice on a number of topics including:

What to do when your client wants you to speak out on an area in which they are not qualified or appropriate
A three-step process for working through ethical challenges
The ethics of security public relations
The top three communications ethics challenges in Silicon Valley
How to avoid burnout
The best ethics advice he ever received

The Ethics of Impersonation, Integrity and Catfish – Gini Dietrich

By Mark McClennan, APR, Fellow PRSA • November 19, 2018 • 2 Comments

Gini Dietrich is the CEO of Arment Dietrich, but she is better known to thousands of adoring fans as the power behind SpinSucks, a required daily read for anyone in the communication and public relations industry.

In this week’s engaging Ethical Voices interview, Gini discusses:

The ethics of impersonation
More than you ever knew about catfish
Why integrity is a powerful word
The best ethics advice she ever received

The Ethics of Layoffs and Plant Closings – Tony D’Angelo, APR, Fellow PRSA

By Mark McClennan, APR, Fellow PRSA • November 12, 2018 • 1 Comment

Anthony D’Angleo, APR, Fellow PRSA, is a professor at the S.I. Newhouse School at Syracuse University and the 2018 National Chair of PRSA. He is one of the most thoughtful public relations professionals I have ever encountered and spent a few minutes discussing ethics with us last week.

This Ethical Voices interview will look at:

The ethical issues around layoffs and plant closings
Balancing external and internal layoff communications
Hot ethics topics in the classroom
The best ethics advice he ever received

Welcome to Ethical Voices

By Mark McClennan, APR, Fellow PRSA • November 5, 2018 • 0 Comments

Welcome to Ethical Voices! Ethical Voices is a blog and podcast more than 20 years in the making. In September 2018, after 23 years working for Schwartz Communications and MSL consistently growing practices and winning awards, due to the corporate consolidation to one P&L, the company eliminated some senior positions and

Blowing the Whistle on Unethical Practices – Paula Pedene, APR, Fellow PRSA

By Mark McClennan, APR, Fellow PRSA • November 5, 2018 • 5 Comments

Paula Pedene is an ethics inspiration to me. She is a service-disabled veteran, was a public affairs officer in the Navy and works at the VA. She was PRSA’s PR professional of the year in 2015. She is a guidepost against which many PR professionals should measure their ethical standards and took at stand against unethical practices as a whistleblower.

This Ethical Voices interview will look at:

What to do if you are put in the position to be a whistleblower
How to protect yourself
The best ethics advice Paula received
Future ethical challenges facing the profession