Side-By-Side Comparison of 40+ Pet Insurance Plans an Industry First
SAN FRANCISCO, CA, July 15, 2009–DogTime (http://dogtime.com), the largest online entity in the $45.4 billion U.S. pet market1 reaching 22 million visitors a month2, today announced the launch of the Internet’s most comprehensive Pet Insurance Center.
Pet insurance is a $271 million market in the U.S. and is projected to grow to $500 million by 20121. The percentage of pet owners with insurance is expected to more than double this year alone.
“There is no question in my mind that pet insurance is a great way to defray the cost of pet care so that pet owners don’t have to make medical decisions based on financial criteria,” said Dr. Phil Zeltzman, board-certified veterinary surgeon in Whitehall, PA, and DogTime Expert. “It is important to compare plans carefully and understand what will and will not be covered. DogTime’s Pet Insurance Center is a great place to do this–there are options for everyone.”
The cornerstone of DogTime’s new Pet Insurance Center is the Plan Comparison Grid (http://dogtime.com/pet-insurance/center/compare-pet-health-insurance), where visitors can compare each of the 40+ plans side by side using ten key criteria. The interactive grid can be customized to compare just the plans that are relevant to a particular shopper’s needs.
The new center also features an Ask the Insurance Expertinteractive tool that allows visitors to submit questions to DogTime’s team of experts, veterinarians, and insurance company representatives. Questions from visitors range from “What are accident-only plans and what do they cover?” to “What is a pet insurance cancer rider?”
DogTime’s editorial team adds valuable insight to the challenges of purchasing the right pet insurance plan with a new Pet Insurance Articles section, which includes feature stories on a wide variety of insurance related topics, such as: “A Beginner’s Guide to Pet Health Insurance,” “Is Pet Insurance Worth It?” and “A Vet’s Take on Pet Insurance.”
“Our audience has told us that they are interested in pet insurance but are confused by the variety of plans and the industry terminology,” says DogTime editor Amy Gurvitz. “We have simplified the process and created a forum for the exchange of dialog between pet owners, veterinarians, DogTime Experts, and representatives from leading pet insurance companies.”
DogTime’s Pet Insurance Center has been designed to encourage user comments and feedback about their experiences with a variety of pet insurance plans. User polls also help to collect opinions from these highly engaged pet guardians.
A variety of sponsorship opportunities are available across the Pet Insurance Center, including banner advertising, sections sponsorships, custom content integration and lead generation programs.
Dr. Phil Zeltzman (http://www.drphilzeltzman.com) is board-certified veterinary surgeon in Whitehall, PA. He has been a Diplomat of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons since 2007. Dr. Zeltman is a DogTime Expert, an international author, and publishes a free weekly newsletter (http://www.drphilzeltzman.com/Free_newsletter.html).
DogTime Media <http://dogtimemedia.com/> is the largest vertical media community focused exclusively on pet owners and the $45.4 billion annual pet market spend. DogTime Media reaches 22.2 million monthly users2 via its community of more than 400 leading pet-focused websites, 360 pet bloggers, and 300 rescue groups, anchored by its own DogTime.com <http://dogtime.com/>, the premier destination for dog owners. FIND YOUR WAG™.
DogTime Media actively supports the efforts of rescue groups and shelters nationwide to significantly reduce the number of homeless and neglected pets in the country by providing authoritative advice to both novice and experienced pet guardians. DogTime recently launched the Save A Dog Facebook application (http://apps.facebook.com/save-a-dog) to help real dogs currently in shelters nationwide. Privately held DogTime Media and DogTime.com are based in San Francisco, CA.
Sources:
1) American Pet Products Association, 2009/2010 National Pet Owners Survey
2) Unique visitors per month, comScore Media Metrix, 5/09
