“Denying marketing people access to advisors is nothing more than sale's efforts to protect their eroding power base.” 

One of the first questions we’re asked is “Where did your name, SwanDog, come from?”

A simple answer would be to suggest:

It’s memorable.
It’s symbolic of the yin-yang balance of strategy and tactic that defines great marketing.
It even hints that we’re a little unconventional in our approach.

Truth is, however, the name comes from an ancient Tibetan proverb called Bird Mastiff. In that story, an unpopular king, worried about a challenge to his throne, bred a swan and a dog together. In that way, he reasoned, he would have the flexibility to use the dog’s tenacity to stand and fight or the wings of the swan to flee.

One night, hundreds of torch bearing intruders stood at the gates of his castle. When it was clear that the dog was no match for the growing masses, the king mounted the SwanDog to make his escape. Unfortunately, the king should have bred a bird that could fly, like maybe a goose or a really big duck or something.

To this day, the legend of the SwanDog is told to young Tibetan children weighing the merits of a career in marketing versus one in genetic engineering. Thanks to the legend, the really smart ones choose genetic engineering and the rest follow their hearts into marketing.