Online Couponing Quite a Branding Coup

Online performance marketers understand that targeting the right offer to the right consumer is the name of the game. By leveraging performance-based media across a variety of channels including display advertising, search, affiliate, email marketing and social networks, advertisers and marketers can help brands better locate relevant customers. This brings us to digital couponing.
According to Kantar Media, digital couponing increased across key CPG websites in 2010 by close to 60%. This includes a 23% increase in digital coupons offered to consumers by over 260 manufacturers. Unlike their paper forerunners, they offer consumers a convenient, and dare I say even trendy means of saving money. Perhaps more importantly, they create brand awareness and drive results for advertisers and marketers at the all-important local level. Local is so "of the moment" I expected it to be working the katwalk during Fashion Week.
Still, some doubt digital couponing has legs. They believe it to be nothing more than a way to grab the attention of the fickle deal seeker at the expense of true relationship building with consumers. And though that might be the case, how's that working out for Groupon?