Having *THE* right idea. It seems Les Others have really hit the mark. Recto Verso are hiking maps—but they’re more than that. Thomas Firh explains how the idea came about and the importance of the community in the project’s development.
An Instagram account with more than 180,000 followers, a print magazine, a podcast, and even a newsletter for nature and adventure enthusiasts—the Others team aims to reach ever greater heights. Recto Verso might be what best represents their community: nature, responsible hiking, and the sharing of ideas.
Inside this mystery box, you'll find a large map of France with, on the front, a list of more than 600 natural areas, and on the back, a 7-step guide to planning your trip, and—most importantly—small maps for each 2- to 10-day itinerary. “We wanted to offer several ways to explore the content: by region, mountain range, or points of interest, depending on people’s preferences and skill levels… The goal is to provide everything you need to plan your trip on your own,” explains Thomas Firh.
Pitch the idea to the team
They could have created an app or a book, but that’s not in their DNA. “The idea of a map quickly became the obvious choice.” Their vision? To re-connect people with nature through adventure, while being mindful of the environment. The team started with the observation that travel causes pollution and that certain areas in France are overrun by tourists.
With the pandemic, a trend toward micro-adventures emerged. Thomas then thought about what the team could do to meet this demand. He presented the idea to his colleagues; they liked it, and it was those discussions that led to the creation of Recto Verso. “Thanks to our very active community, we often have plenty of ideas; the challenge was figuring out how this idea would take shape within the team. We had a hard time seeing why Recto Verso wouldn’t work. Our challenge was to understand our target audience’s hiking and cycling habits.”
Community as a Compass
In February and March 2021, the project took shape. Surveys were sent out, particularly for the quantitative aspect. “The community was not involved until the second part of the development process. In May, we launched a landing page with a provisory name: Project A. It outlined in a few lines what we wanted to do.” 9,000 people signed up before the summer to receive emails. The goal is to raise awareness of the project, but also to gather insights into the community’s travel habits and needs through surveys.
Dozens of emails were sent throughout the summer. Then in September, 80 beta testers—experts in hiking and cycling—verified the points of interest and the features included on the maps. The selected routes are therefore based on trails they have tested and are familiar with.
In the fall of 2021, a crowdfunding campaign was launched to finance the project and promote it. More than 13,000 copies of *Recto Verso* were printed, a sign that the strong *Les Autres* community came through, from the project’s inception through to its completion.
To go further
- This interview is part of our series on testing. Find more tips, including the example of Brief.me’s beta test campaign, the creation of a “0” issue with Pauline Dupin-Aymard of the magazine *Chassez le naturel*, and the example of *Le Progrès*’s Asapp project.
- To learn how to create your media project step by step, check out our how-to guides.
- Are you looking to launch a crowdfunding campaign? Follow this guide.
