Day 5

• Peterborough – Lowestoft
• Distance Travelled: 115 miles (yes, that’s right, 115 miles)

It was a long hard slog over to the east coast, I didn’t finish until after nine in the evening. My motivation was to complete the task before the weekend so that myself and the ‘support team’ could enjoy a little family time.

As it was so late I met with Lee Bromley from Submission Technology on the Saturday (they donated an absolutely amazing £500!)

Jason, Lee from Submission Technology and Support team

Unfortunately Darren Loud who heads up the affiliate team was off with the flu. I had planned to interview him for the blog so instead I caught up with Director, Neil Durrant on Monday. Here is his interview:

JB: You were the first cashback site in the UK. How long have you been running now?

ND: We launched in February 2003, so we have been operating for over six and a half years now.

JB: I understand that you have a lot of partner sites, who are they?

ND: Yes, strategically we are achieving growth by empowering key destination sites with a white-labelled cashback solution. We are currently working with GMTV, News International, Tiscali and numerous other partners. We have a number of exciting new partnerships to announce shortly, however the ink isn’t dry on those contracts yet!

JB: Have you hit any memorable milestones with member payouts?

ND:Our online cashback ticker has now surpassed the £115 million milestone. I’m proud that our little idea has turned into one of affiliate marketing’s greatest revenue drivers.

JB: How did the idea of cashback come about?

ND: At the time I was working in the affiliate space, providing consulting and promotional services for merchants. This was ‘back in the day’ before a dedicated UK affiliate network even existed. This time gave me the opportunity to thoroughly understand the space and identify what might and might not work.

JB: Any tips for our advertisers on how to get the best out of your site?

ND: Each advertiser has different opportunities that we can help them leverage. Our newspaper partner is also in a position to support promotional campaigns editorially, this allows us to produce a well-rounded cross media campaign to drive results. The best advice is to make contact with myself, Darren or Lee to allow us to explore how we can help!

Thanks very much Neil for your contribution and all of your support!

So…back to the trip. It is at this point that I would like to say thank you to a few people. Firstly I would like to say thanks to all the people who have donated to Kids Company – we have raised £1,265 so far – http://www.justgiving.com/CJ-goes-mobile/. Thanks very much – really appreciated

Next I would like to thank my support team (my wife) for all her support during the week. I kind of sold the trip as a week away as a family – well we all know that things turned out a little differently so thanks for your patience Helen.

I would also like to say thank you to CJ for supporting the idea in the first place. I have worked for a number of large organisations before and I can honestly say that it takes a business with a certain type of culture to back you when you request to engage our community with something a little different. In particular Hannah who organised most of the trip and content. On the note of working with good people please note that WE ARE RECRUITING – so if you want to work somewhere with an excellent culture then get in touch.

The most beautiful sign I have ever seen

So what did I learn on my travels?

• The UK is a most beautiful place
• ‘Miles’ are very underated. They go on for ages
• Plan every route! (better still get Doug to plan your route)
• Some people don’t know where they are, where they are going, or where they have come from
• When asking for directions if you don’t get an answer within a minute, walk away!!
• There are some really, really nice people out there – thanks Martin!
• Be nice to cyclists!
• Use Sudocream – it works, padded seats don’t!
• Be careful what you agree to when you are tipsy
• Don’t shout expletives at large blokes in white vans (who cut you up) in unknown territory and miles away from home
• Doug wears Y-Fronts:-)

Well there you go! Next year I plan to do the same and I challenge more of you to do what Doug did and join me for part of the route.

Last but by no means least I would like to thank my bike!

Wednesday’s report – in Jason’s words

• Leicester to Peterborough
• Distance – 42 miles

Day four was a very simple cycle route, no meetings booked for the morning so straight off we go, the only difference today was the weather – rain!!!!

Jason reaches Peterborough

The next morning…and an announcement

Shock horror…there is to be a slight change to the final leg of my journey. Don’t worry – the distance is still the same! But instead of stopping of in King’s Lynn on my way to Lowestoft I’ll be heading there direct – the distance will be 90 miles (ouch) it’s going to be a long day.

Why the change of plan? Well, its quite simple, I have no pre-booked meetings in Kings Lynn and as nice as an extra stop off would be in my adventure, having Helen and Eve move from hotel to hotel each day waiting for me isn’t as much fun for them as it is for me, so instead we are going to push on and try and finish the full distance today.

As my journey yesterday was relatively uneventful, I thought I’d brighten up this post with a few pictures of some of CJ’s furrier fans (my sister breeds Arabian horses http://www.lillyviewarabians.com/)

Jason with Arabian horses

Editors note: please excuse the bright blue horses eyes I assure you they are not possessed as they initially seem, the picture just needed brightening up and with that came the eyes!!

So the last stretch of Jason’s adventure is here 90 miles in a day – rather you than me Jason! I’ll update you on the final chapter this Monday…will he make it? Place your bets!!

Anyway – with no further ado let me hand over to Jason for Wednesday’s report

Wednesday’s report – in Jason’s words

• Lichfield to Leicester
• Distance – 40.1 miles (ahh that’s better)

After a tasty fusion curry in Lichfield the night before and some sleep I felt ready to take on today’s much shorter offering. Doug was waiting in his kit when I arrived as his team were working away on his many enterprises.

Jason and Doug at Doug's Office

As it was my third day cycling I felt like I was qualified to  give advice on how best to keep one’s behind from getting sore. The answer, which I will share with you all now is Sudocrem (which I luckily have in plentiful supply because of my 10 month old). Doug had obviously listened to my advice because he had bought his own ickle tub of it.

Jason and Doug setting off

Anyway – enough of that! We set off on a route that Doug had planned and I must say that this was a much better approach to cycling across England (editors note – hmmmm I would have thought that planning was fairly obvious actually Jase!). Instead of nightmare A roads and long windy roads that add 30 miles to your journey (sorry Martin) tis was a very pleasant B road cycle through Warwickshire and then onto Leicestershire.

We had agreed that this was not to be a race but instead to be a ‘bumble’ through the countryside and we did just that. I must say that this is a great way to have a meeting and it will go down as one of my best. We covered every topic you can imagine and pretty much chatted for the entire four hours. Something we decided on that regardless of whether you are an affiliate, a merchant, work in an agency or network – the one thing which makes people great in affiliate marketing is a slight tendancy towards OCD – to not be able to put something down until it is perfect.

What I will say is that Doug certainly knows his stuff and will always give advice and share knowledge. In his own words ‘you know how to find me, on my blog, the A4U forum – if you want to talk PM me!’ Now there is an offer!

We stopped for a bite to eat where I saw Doug do the most amazing thing. As soon as we sat down outside this cafe a big Golden Labrador started to bark ferociously at Doug. Rather like the film Crocodile Dundee Doug then proceeded to  (for want of a better word) ‘hypnotize’ the dog until he was practically rubbing its belly. It is official – Doug is a dog whispereer.

We ended the day with a 5 mile dowhhill ride to Leicester and then parted company. Thanks for cycling with me Doug – it was great spending the day with you

Jason and Doug at Leicester

Editors note – Doug has managed to buck the trend of the sweaty Jason ‘arm around’ and thrown his arm around him first, probably as a preventative measure. Good thinking batman!

Another day closer. Well done Jase and Doug. A special thank you to Doug for the day of non-drama. Undoubtabley without you he would have got lost.

Jason is getting very tired but don’t panic! He is still going, cycling his little heart out. At the moment he has some company from Doug Scott which should keep his spirits bouyed. Here he is with Tuesday’s report.

Tuesday’s Report – in Jason’s words

• Sheffield – Lichfield
• Distance – 80ish (probably more as I lost count)

Tuesday started out much more smoothly then the day before. My meeting with Dominic Butterell and Nat Portman from Quidco started promptly at 9am at their offices.

Jason and Dominic

Here is a little bit of information from Quidco about their operations in Sheffield.

Hi, I’m Dominic Butterell and I am the Head of Quidco Member Support. The Member Support department is based in Sheffield and is made up of a team of dedicated and enthusiastic Customer Service Advisors dealing with member tickets and enquiries. We also have an experienced and knowledgeable payments team which invoice and apply payments to member accounts.

Fran Herrick and Natalie Portman are the Accounts Administration Managers and they each have a portfolio of affiliate networks – Natalie being responsible for the relationship between Quidco and CJ in respect of enquiries and SureShop. She works closely with CJ to provide a smooth and speedy journey for our members which is not always easy as the cashback process can be complex and long-winded on occasion.

At Quidco there is currently a great deal of work going on behind the scenes to streamline internal procedures and to agree deadlines and timescales with affiliate networks at the same time as revising our website in order to educate our customers and manage their expectations more effectively. All of this will result in the increased trust of our members which will benefit Quidco, affiliate networks and their merchants ”

Thanks Dominic – always interesting to hear what is happening in the world of Quidco.

After the meeting I set off towards Lichfield. Dominic and the city of Sheffield were kind enough to give me a parting gift – one MASSIVE, near vertical hill. Cheers for that!

It was quite an easy journey for around 20 miles until I hit the A38. I had thought I would be able to cycle along this in one straight line for 50 miles or so but this road was scary as hell.  I am talking a two-lane dual carriageway  populated by very large articulated lorries driving extremely fast and very close to me. I lasted about two miles and quickly realised that this was not a good idea.

I came off at the next exit and luckily saw another cyclist who I flagged down. His name was Martin and he was on his way home from work.  Martin very, very kindly pointed me to a cycle route which would take me to Lichfield so we set off only to realise that I had a puncture. Martin waitied patiently and not only pointed me in the direction but, as we were passing his house anyway, invited me in to check my bike was working properly.

His wife and daughter were as nice as Martin himself and made me feel really welcome although I am sure that they thought I was an absolute lunatic. I was given a nice drink, new inner tubes for my bike and Martin then cycled with me to route 54 on the National Cyclist Network.  Thanks a million Martin!

Editor’s note – thanks very much for looking after our Jason. I see that he rewarded you with a nice sweaty arm around the shoulder – lucky you! Anytime you are in London just pop into the CJ offices and we will return the favour!

Jason and Martin

After I left Martin I went along the road he suggested which was much much easier. However whilst it was a great deal safer it wasn’t as quick as the deadly A38 so I finally arrived in Lichfield at 9pm. I had been cycling for eight hours. I was tired but it was nothing a good curry couldn’t sort out

Good man! Hear more of Jason’s tales tomorrow at the same place.

Monday’s report – in Jason’s words

• Liverpool – Manchester
• Manchester – Sheffield
• Distance – Approx 81 miles (91 miles including the wrong turn)

Day one got off to an interesting start as my support team was in tatters. Wife (Helen) had food poisoning and child (Eve Rose) had a rough night so we didn’t set off until 10-ish.

The cycle to Manchester was actually a rather pleasant journey. Flat as a pancake and pretty much one straight road.

I arrived at around 1pm and had a catch up with the MVi crew. We were going to have lunch but apparently the prospect of sitting in a restaurant with me after a 40 mile cycle was not that appealing! (Although they were brave enough to get close to me in order to take this rather grainy photo!)

Editor – I now hand you over to Jason’s interview of the MVi team:

Can you introduce your team?

Nicola Marsh – Head of Affiliates: I have been with MediaVest for over six years and in affiliate marketing for over four. Over the last four years some would say that I have matured alongside the industry I am in. Gone are the late nights and copious amounts of alcohol (almost). Instead I spend my spare time relaxing with my horse

Sean Carter (aka Jay Z) – Senior Affiliate Manager: Sean has been with us for over three years and has worked in affiliate marketing for over five. In his spare time Sean is a real life Bruce Lee and can often be seen demonstrating his moves around the office!

Peter Metcalf: Peter has been with us for just two short months and has already made a big impression within the department, mainly due to his constant singing (JLS being one of his current favourites). Peter comes from a sales background which is an ideal preparation for managing his affiliate campaigns. In his spare time Peter likes to take advantage of the many 2 for 1 offers available at local restaurants – but he isn’t a cheapskate!

What is it like working for your company?

MediaVest is a great company to work for and I often feel privileged to be working alongside the people I do. The hours are sometimes long and the clients are sometimes challenging but the office banter more than makes up for it!

How does your affiliate offering differ from other agencies?

MVi has had a dedicated affiliate team for over five years and were one of the first agencies to recognise the fact that a specialist skill set was required for good affiliate management. MVi has continued to be very hands-on in their approach to affiliate management and has continued to deliver a first class service to all of their clients regardless of size!

If you could cycle to anywhere in the world, where would it be?

• Nicola – Thailand
• Sean – Egypt
• Peter – Agentina

If you didn’t work in affiliate marketing what would you do?

• Nicola – I would be a life coach or run my own livery yard
• Sean – I would be a personal trainer or a cage fighter
• Peter – I would own my own record label

Thanks guys for putting up with a sweaty Jason. Now back to him for the rest of his day.

The second leg was quite different from the first. It started well with the trip out of Manchester (half of whom think I am mad as I went round ask directions for a non-motorway route to Sheffield) but then the next three hours really hurt.

I cycled through the Peak District across ‘Snake Pass’ which was very scenic indeed. When I got to the summit and started the descent it was great ….great except that I enjoyed the 45mph hill so much that I missed my turn completely and added 10 miles to my journey. This did my morale no good at all.

I finally arrived at around 6pm heading straight to my room for a hot bath and then some grub. Thankfully the Quidco guys were understanding enough to move our evening meeting to a breakfast meeting instead! I slept very well indeed.

Well done Jase – keep cycling old man.

Jason is wiring in his progress reports back to me in CJ HQ so I had this waiting for me when I got in this morning. Apparently I have a photo of Jason in lycra to ‘look forward’ to later today. What a dubious honour.

Sunday afternoon – in Jason Baker’s words

So here I am, sitting in a restaurant in Liverpool’s Albert Docks after a near six-hour journey with my support team (wife Helen and baby Eve Rose – the latter being the reason for the long journey) and I am actually starting to feel nervous about the journey ahead.

Jason and Support Team

One thing in particular that has fueled these jitters is a throwaway remark from Helen who pointed out that between Manchester and Sheffield lies the Peak District which we all know has some serious hills. (Editor’s note – this will be taking place this afternoon – poor brave Jason).

So we wish him luck and I will fill you in with more news about his progress