Man Bites Dog | What’s the Story Behind Man Bites Dog?
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Dan Matthews
Head of Editorial
Man Bites Dog
Twenty-one years ago, our founder Claire Mason saw an opportunity. At the time, marketing was the preserve of products:stuff you could see, touch and understandin an instant.
But what about B2B businesses selling intangible assets to other businesses? Intelligent brands – those whose primary offer is the knowledge and expertise of the people who work there – have a much harder time differentiating from one another. Physical products were been replaced by SAAS (and now AI), financial services have always been invisible, and in professional services firms, the experts are the product.
sayingthat you havebrilliant, engaged minds working for youis not enoughto attract attention.Thiscreatesa tricky equation for the knowledge economy: high-stakesdealsarebased on a completely intangible offer and no obvious way to differentiate from the competition.
Dan Matthews
Head of Editorial
Man Bites Dog
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The name itself is a demonstration of what we do: taking something complex and crystallising it into something distinctive and commercially powerful
Claire Mason
CEO & Founder
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 yourintelligenceadvantage. 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 toClaire: “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, isan 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, thisstandardis even more important than it was in 2005. With the emergence of AIand a smorgasbord of related tech, even brandswith tangible offerings must up their game to convey why they are better than the rest.
Businesses intechnology, financial services andprofessional servicesare choc-a-bloc with brilliant minds, but not always withbig ideas andspokespeopleempoweredto crystalise their unique advantages into a compelling narrative.The same is often true fortraditionally quietbrands inthe 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 vibrantlyand intelligentlywith the people waiting to buy from them.
About Dan
Dan Matthews is head of editorial at Man Bites Dog.
Talk to Dan aboutthought leadership campaigns,custom publishing, branded magazines, websites, dynamic digital and editorial products to help your business become a thought maker in its market.
If you’d like to speak to us about anything else, please ,we’d love to help.