Man Bites Dog | What’s the Story Behind Man Bites Dog?

For Claire, back in 2005, the solution was clear. There’s only one way to sell intelligence, and that’s by demonstrating it. You make ideas visible, you showcase thinking, you prove your intelligence advantage. And you do it all through thought leadership, which is where Man Bites Dog comes in.    

The phrase itself refers to the classic journalistic principle: “Dog bites man” isn’t news. “Man bites dog” is. It’s about the unexpected, the distinctive, the idea that cuts through. 

There’s even a friendly transatlantic tussle over who first coined it: was it New York Sun editor John B. Bogart, his predecessor Charles Anderson Dana, or British newspaper magnate Alfred Harmsworth? We’ll probably never know. But more important was the purpose the name served. 

According to Claire: “When I was naming the business, I was looking for the world’s shortest story – conflict and resolution in just a few words. ‘Man Bites Dog’ crystallised everything we wanted to stand for.” 

What we stand for, then and now, is an idea that travels, an idea that gains momentum and, crucially, one that becomes a platform for business growth. Man Bites Dog abbreviates to MBD, which is also the abbreviation of Marketing and Business Development – a deliberate coincidence. 

“The name itself is a demonstration of what we do: taking something complex and crystallising it into something distinctive and commercially powerful,” says Claire. 

Moving brands from ‘invisible’ to ‘intelligent’ is the name of the game, in doing so motivating action and always connecting brand to revenue. If it doesn’t drive action, then it’s just content. 

In 2026, this standard is even more important than it was in 2005. With the emergence of AI and a smorgasbord of related tech, even brands with tangible offerings must up their game to convey why they are better than the rest. 

Businesses in technology, financial services and professional services are choc-a-bloc with brilliant minds, but not always with big ideas and spokespeople empowered to crystalise their unique advantages into a compelling narrative. The same is often true for traditionally quiet brands in the energy, engineering and infrastructure sectors, who need to move from invisible to intelligent brands.  

That’s why, at Man Bites Dog, we specialise in storytelling that motivates action – helping modern businesses connect vibrantly and intelligently with the people waiting to buy from them.