Reviewing the THS official CEO video

Owner Questions, Advice & Chat
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So I’ve watched Matthew the CEO’s video twice (TrustedHousesitters: the leading travel solution for pet people) and looked at some of the new wording on the site. Aside from the booking fee fiasco, I’m disturbed by what looks like a de-emphasis on the exchange aspect. The word “exchange” does’t get mentioned until the 4:53 mark on a 6 minute video.

There are unrealistic expectations set such as “You may well meet [sitters] face to face” during the selection process, specifically in context he’s saying this separate from remote meetings, and we all know how unlikely that is. While types of sitters are mentioned such as digital nomads, retirees, etc, the emphasis is on their love for pets with hardly a mention of travel. Retirees who may no longer have their own pets but want to enjoy them, digital nomads who find it relieves stress to sit with the pet. The very real value of the host’s home is de-emphasized, so the marketting really is about a better way to petcare and not on a mutually beneficially exchange.

Nor does the idea that many sitters applying will be travelling and coming from far away and won’t be lifelong friends happy to come back and again.

Even with my New York City location, I wouldn’t have dared to use Trusted Housesitters before our apartment renovations. Seriously, we liked our home, but recognized it was kind of squalid. But after the renovation, we were home proud, and when I “found” Trusted Housesitters, I knew this would work because I understood I could save money on housesitters by leveraging what I had. Just like some people could make money on Airbnb, I could save money by a kind of Airbnb for pet lovers, where we were both saving money. The aspiration to show off your place, and boost your neighborhood is a feature not a bug.

I’m not saying every home on THS has to be in a major tourist destination or new. But every home has to offer something that would appeal to someone. A mareketting pitch could be “Tell us what’s special about your home.” “What does home mean to you?”

It is an exchange. There is nothing wrong with selling it as an exchange. There are plenty of home-proud hosts who enjoy “hosting” even if they aren’t doing it for cash but to save cash and feel secure about leaving their pets behind.

Instead, the video seems to be emphasizing the service of petsitting, and while it mentions no money exchanged between the homeowner and the sitter, and that sitters aren’t doing this for money, it would be easy for a homeowner to mistakenly believe that sitters were getting something from THS since it’s not clear what they are getting from homeowners other than a chance to be around someone else’s pets. In other words, Matthew introduces a marketplace, but it seems like a marketplace where homeowners select free sitters who offer themselves solely because they love taking care of other people’s pets.

I wouldn’t expect all the details to be on a sales video, but I would expect it to get across the idea that this isn’t just free sitters for one low price. That’s too good to be true. Homeowners who join and believe it is true, are probably going to be disappointed. The current version would not have appealed to me as a homeowner and certainly wouldn’t appeal to me as a sitter.

Thoughts?

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I watched the video. Not really seeing the problem. Hosts and sitters don’t always meet face to face, but it seems to me it’s more likely to happen than not, and as you noted, Matthew does say sitters use the platform to travel, as well as to have a new base for working from home with a stress reducing pet at their side, in a presumably safe residential location.

Seems like he covered it fairly well. In fact it appears that most sitters say the primary reason they do it is for love of pets, rather than for free accommodations while they travel and the video is more in line with that perspective (whether or not that’s actually true).

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I have just watched it. You’re right. It is mostly directed at pet owners. It even encourages owners with big menageries and farm animals to join.
There’s very little mention of sitters and none at all of the house keeping aspect.
I have also noticed that on the screen they show the monthly rate, which I have never seen and doesn’t seem to be available. Although at the top it does say annual, the amounts quoted are monthly and that’s, I think, intentionally misleading.

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Actually, I think farm sits would appeal to a lot of sitters, so I don’t mean it has to show the perfect tourist accomodation but there are issues like the use of “selection process” rather than match. The way Prior talks about the process it sounds like the homeowner is in charge and the homeowner is of course the one who chooses, but it is matching. Sitters select sits to apply to and may not take every sit offered.

It really comes across as a Rover but cheaper because sitters are just so crazy about pets. Of course sitters are or should be crazy about pets, but what’s more important is that they are exchanging their petsitting skill for accommodations, and just like the sitter has to have certain qualities, the accomodations have to have certain qualities.

Otherwise, you are going to have homeowners bewildered that no one wants to apply or accept the sit or surprised that the sitters are not as advertised on the video.

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Sadly, as membership expands, it becomes harder to attract real pet lovers vs. people who will put up with pets so they get some place to stay.

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The video is a year old and, therefore, needs updating to reflect the added costs being implemented and changes that have occurred over the past year.
Mathew Prior’s sitter was Angela, a very experienced sitter, employee of THS and founder of the Forum! Whether she actually did sit for him is perhaps questionable.

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Didn’t realize it was up there for a year! I did recognize Angela and found that deceptive. The stuff with Angela training the dog for instance just seemed ridiculous and staged.

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I totally agree @Marion!

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I agree, the emphasis is on expansion rather than improvement. That will mean a greater number of nomadic lifestyle sitters in the US and I suggest that will dilute the overall quality.

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I’ve just watched the video and think it’s very good. The only thing that really bothers me is the fact the he mentions that owners and sitters pay an annual membership fee and shows a screen with the monthly subscription. Obviously also no mention of the booking fees because, as @Temba points out, the video is a year old.
Also, his sitter is Angela, a member of THS staff!
I have to say, how well behaved is Lenny for a 7 month old pup?

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There have been many pets over the years that have caused us real stress! :wink: lol. Lead pullers, reactivity, no recall, separation anxiety etc. So, the video is portraying the purrfect scenario… :smiling_face:

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@Marion, we believe that it seems a well-made corporate video.

It simplifies multiple topics using simple language that be understood by someone unfamiliar with housesitting concept. It pretends that common pitfalls don’t exist (e.g. unattractive listings, nonsense expectations) - that may be sometimes the fault of the member.

No question that some members will join THS and be disappointed, for all manner of reasons. Some THS Forum threads have highlighted THS Marketing language that seems near guaranteed to create expectation failure.

We do not take issue with this video. It does not include some of the most nonsense prior language - pick any housesitter from community; unlimited free labour - and hopefully may attract more members … a subset of which may have appealing listings.

That said, we’d love it if THS focussed it’s marketing geographically … plenty of US and UK housesits … new Pet Parents in Schengen area would be fabulous. Has THS considered publishing such a video in a language other than English, or with non-English subtitles?

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Utterly delusional marketing. One wonders whether the real goal is to push hosts into dual membership once all sitters are gone :melting_face:

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I did mention the fact that a certain female who used to manage the forum was his sitter, I mentioned her name and it was deleted. Some people will know who I’m talking about

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Yes, was it Aunty A?

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I know and I really don’t understand why it was deleted, as her name is mentioned in the video and she does appear on it.

I had never seen her but I did think it must be her. When I watched the video, I wondered whether she had actually sat for him and even whether Lenny is his dog or just an actor. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, it’s just a promotional video.

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I just got around to watching the video. I actually think it was a pretty good marketing video for THS, & the CEO came across as sincere and reassuring. He makes a great case for the concept — whereas people I talk to about THS invariable respond with “You do it for free???” [insert blank stare here]

I think most marketing for this concept is probably going to be more geared toward attracting hosts than sitters. They seem harder to come by…at least it looks like it, as I’ve perused other similar platforms (especially the new ones.) Tons of sitters; minimal hosts.

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At least, hosts with desirable sits and low competition are hard to come by. They get slews of applicants whereas there were thousands of hosts in not so desirable locations who failed to confirm a sitter over the past holiday period.

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19

And I think all it takes in that video is another line or two to plant a seed about who sitters are (and maybe cut the part where “A” is teaching the dog new tricks).

“Sitters help out hosts by providing responsible care for their pets and homes while hosts provide safe, secure accomodations for petloving travelers.”

That pitches to both parties while implanting the concept that hosts actually have to do something for this service. And sitters aren’t just doing this because their kink is changing cat litter, they are getting a chance to experience places.

(The video only mentions the accomodations in a passive way, and not with language clarifying that the accomodations is something hosts do for sitters.)

To me the message in the video is aimed at potential hosts and it’s very much: We have a solution. It’s unbelievably easy! It will save you money. It will be good for everyone including you pet! (And you can even find someone local!)

It’s like marketting an exercise program that promises great results in just 5 minutes a day – no effort required. There is no “ask” from Homeowners other than spend money to join. Maybe it’s because I come from liaison work, non-profit world, social work world and not marketting, but I think if the goal is to get more homeowners as well as better sitters, the “ask” could involve joining the community, and doing things a little differently (inviting traveling sitters and exchanging accomodations instead of cash) for a better result.

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I agree that there are many ways to tweak or reframe messaging.

My point is separate from that. I simply don’t think that there are enough good potential sitters, period. Like how many people can take good care of pets and homes, and are willing to do it well while sightseeing or doing things. That’s the case even with reasonable host/pet needs, much less the unreasonable ones.

Of course, we can disagree about that.