Just watched the video. Now we know where the sitting/HO fees are wasted. How would such a video apply to couples? Maybe next one will imply swingers?
I guess solo sitters make up the highest % of sitters or targeted market? Notice the ages of the sitters in the video. Not sure that reflects the ages of the more active forum members
@Cat-ophile exactly as per my previous post
@Cat-ophile More likely the ages of those in the marketing team!!!
Hi Ziggy, I have just seen the video and quite agree with you. It is cold. clinical and totally unnatural. It is just showing one person sat with another, almost like a job interview. There are only two dogs seen and comp-letely independently juast walking in slowly. Clearly whoever came up with this ad has no idea. In reality you are more likley to be welcomed in by a friendly couple (sometimes just one person) and the dog or dogs will be jumping all over you in excitement. You can also be taken around the garden/grounds and shown the goats, chickens, geese, llamas etc. They should have shown various houses and being greeted as friends with welcoming hugs and the pets running around etc. This add would not have attracted me to pet sitting. Two docile dogs is not rtesality. Why not show them being walked and dragging you through a bush, as they see some animal or bird they wish to chase after etc. etc. And the ones who will follow you everywhere even into the walk in larder and when nyou suddenloy rtealise you haven’t seen the dog for a while…ah there he is shut in the larder. Show the reality and not one owner just sitting with one pet sitter and the one dog auntering in at the end of the ad.
@co_ri_na I’m glad to see your response to the video was that it was ‘cringeworthy’. I just posted a similar comment.
@anon56612445 Oh I had to create a reply as one 
emojis is just not enough.
@Jenny I hope you send marketing this feedback as I’d honestly like to see the video deleted. I laughed at myself as my jaw dropped at first, thinking it was an oversight. Then as I continued to watch I realized it was intentional. My jaw was dropped the whole way through.
@Jenny Is the Sits We Think You’ll Like an example of this? If so, the team could start by deleting that altogether. How the selected sits are determined is beyond me. They in no way match any sits I’ve done in the past, or ever search for.
Deleting this section would be an improvement that would be easy to implement.
The video is only supposed to grab your attention. I think it is cute although not that clever. Obviously marketed to the young that use dating sites. I hope when people click the link I assume they provide, then it becomes serious and explains how it works for both sitters and hosts. If it continues with travel the world for free we will see more and more people posting, I don’t think only being away 6 hours from the house is fair like I see lately. I hope hosts are explained it is a fair equal exchange and it’s not marketed to them as free help, operative word being the help.
The add seemed like it was put together by people with 0% understanding of the actual appeal of the site for both sitters and homeowners. Not to mention the skivvy double-entendre would not go over well with solo female travelers – a very desirable sitter demographic.
@Jenny & THS team
We genuinely applaud efforts towards continuous improvement, member experience and clear expectations.
Some of these changes have the potential to be excellent - kudos. But we agree with comments by @belluca & others - Frankie AI bot (and its peers in other organizations) is simply terrible. Sorry but it’s true. Please don’t extend “clever” AI bots to save pennies because they’re trendy or to save pennies on operational expenses. Housesitting is a people business by grown adults.
We applaud concept of sit cancellation deterrrents. Been there, twice. Stressful & sucks. But we wholeheartedly encourage THS to concurrently change both carrot and stick. Introduction of cancellation deterrents seems a wonderfully proportional time to also upgrade the THS Sit Cancellation Insurance. For reasons expressed in multiple other threads then this policy features stale monetary values, limited eligibility and inexplicable conditions. Feel free to punish offenders, especially repeat offenders, but protect innocent victims.
I would be extremely wary of agreeing to sit for any host who joined THS because they saw this advert.
It’s absolutely toe curling with all the double entendres @Silversitters - plus totally off the mark on customer appeal. if I worked for an agency that produced this I’d be mortified!! #ickkyisnttheword
Had I not know the video was promoting THS, I would’ve assumed it was for a dating site. I have never used any of their phrases to communicate with owners and never will. It’s vulgar. @Jenny please pass the feedback onto to whoever okayed the video. THS should be embarrassed putting this sort of tripe out into the public domain.
“Same community higher standards”
Our standards have always been high, from the moment we joined. It’s the community that’s changed and that’s on THS advertising.
If a host can’t be bothered to read my letter of introduction, my many reviews or my profile I’m not interested in sitting for them. This is one of the main problems on the site at the moment. To achieve a good sit, from start to finish, it takes effort. Reading and research cannot be handed to AI then everyone expects it to magically work. Both parties need to put real effort into achieving that perfect sit. THS cannot do the work for any individual. They can make it much easier by stopping the “free holiday” campaign and tell the truth about the hard work sitting is.
I for one take these new improvements as a down grade.
Publish how many times members cancel on their profiles
Make categories for animals health and medicines
Animals behaviour
Duration of walks
Alone time
Give us more clear and honest information about the animals and the work involved. List any garden or house work that the host wants done.
That’s what sitters want and I’m sure there is a list that hosts would like about sitters. There should be prompts for essential information on both sides as we are not getting the information we need initially.
“Please choose me” just doesn’t cut it.
I can’t even bring myself to watch it 
I wondered if it could be as bad as all that. Then I watched it. OMG, it was so much worse.
OK so after reading all these comments I had to go searching for the video- and I’m assuming it’s the one with all the couples and sexual innuendos..? I thought I’d clicked on the wrong video and was watching a dating Ad until the dogs appeared..
This is utterly utterly cringeworthy! I can’t believe anyone thought this was actually a good marketing technique. It’s embarrassing to be associated with such rubbish!
IMHO this Ad sends out all the wrong messages… or maybe this is just the future THS… 
Does anyone remember the survey some members did ages ago? It was specifically targeted at age brackets and singles in the questions, particularly asking about things that would only be targeted to a younger group. This is the result of that survey obviously 
@Silversitters OMG- it gets worse!!
