The Atavist

For my case study I looked at The Atavist; an innovative, digital publisher.  They have created their own genre (‘longer than a novel, shorter than a book’) within publishing, and have also introduced various forms of multimedia into their digital content.  A key issue that I have noticed during my research is the potential pitfall of disruptive innovation.  By creating a completely new genre, they are making more work for themselves than the average start-up business.  This is because their potential customers will not necessarily be aware of the type of content they are supplying.  Unfortunately, The Atavist also relies on attracting a much wider range of customers than the average start-up business, due to their varied content.  It does not matter how innovative The Atavist are, or how good their idea is; if the customer cannot find their content, they cannot pay for it, and therefore the business is not likely to succeed.  The Atavist needs to concentrate on raising their profile, and on building a lasting relationship with their customer, to ensure that they make enough profit to stay afloat and continue innovating.