Bothism: commitment through inclusion

“Bothism”, a fusion of “both” and “ism”, is a concept theorized by Mark Ritson that invites an inclusive perspective rather than exclusive choices. The idea is to consider the possibility of simultaneously embracing two seemingly opposite aspects.

The example given by Riston shows how this approach can be beneficial. Indeed, he cites cases where the “and” trumps the “or” in situations such as sales vs. brand, quantitative vs. qualitative research, creative and digital vs. traditional communications.

This “and” philosophy can be applied to many other situations. For example, combining science and creativity leads to richer, more informed conclusions. Integrating customer experience and brand creates a stronger relationship with customers. Finally, the alignment of purpose and profit shows that they can coexist and even reinforce each other.

Bothism reminds us that the binary choice is not always necessary. It invites us to reflect on the possibility of adopting an inclusive approach, which can often lead to more complete and harmonious results, vectors of commitment.