I love coupons; who doesn't? They are, arguably, one of the most important marketing tools used by companies such as Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG), Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE: CL), and General Mills (NYSE: GIS). I also love coupon distribution on the web, so I'm hoping a new technology reported on by BusinessWeek really takes off.

A company called Coupons, Inc. has developed a system dubbed Brandcaster. It essentially follows Google's (NASDAQ: GOOG) model of monetization. Depending on where you are on the web and what you are looking at, the Brandcaster will determine if a coupon may be applicable to you. It will then try to get you to access the coupon and print it up. Web sites who use the application will be given a cut of revenues generated from successful coupon printings. So, speaking hypothetically, if I'm on a site that's dedicated to video games, maybe this Brandcaster thing will someday tell me that I can print up a coupon allowing me to get $5 off a new software title.

If this is promoted properly, and if the value to consumer companies can be adequately communicated, then I think Coupons, Inc. has a hit on its hands. Like I say, people love coupons, and I think they are more likely to act on printing out a coupon then they are to, say, buy a product immediately online through a banner ad. I see this kind of advertising as being more effective over the long-term than other kinds of ads.

I've known Dave Morgan, the founder of TACODA, for some time. Back in 1995, he founded Real Media, which was a pioneer of online ad networks.

No doubt, he's one of the top thinkers in the space – and has been a great source for my stories at BloggingStocks.

Well, today TACODA announced it is selling to AOL, a unit of Time Warner (NYSE: TWX) and also the owner of BloggingStocks.

Morgan has proved himself a step ahead of the technology curve and TACODA is no exception. The company is a leader in so-called "behavioral targeting" for online ad networks. Basically, it means an ad can be based on such things as preferences, age, gender and so on.

It's cool stuff – but not easy to pull off. Also, it's something that needs a lot of scale. And that's why a deal with AOL makes a lot of sense.

In fact, according to a study from eMarketer, the behavioral targeting market is forecast to grow from $350 million in 2006 to $3.8 billion by 2011.

So where's Morgan going now? Actually, he said he'll be moving over to AOL (this is according to an email exchange I had with him this morning).

If you want to check out more recent M&A deals, click here.

Tom Taulli is the author of various books, including the Complete M&A Handbook and the EDGAR-Online Guide to Decoding Financial Statements.

Although computer maker Hewlett-Packard Co. (NYSE: HPQ) is mainly known in the consumer business for its desktop and laptop PCs, as well as printers, the company has large software, services, and industrial product offerings as well. One of the most intriguing I've seen that may be in HP's possible future pipeline involves the reinvention of the grocery shopping experience. Say what?

The tech giant may be trialing a grocery shopping solution soon that involves an in-store kiosk system that literally could give customers the best shopping experience in a grocery store as possible, while really targeting coupons and special offers specifically to each shopper. Just like Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) does with its targeted internet-based text grocery shopping, HP's system could get rid of the "coupon clipping" mentality many shoppers face and present each shopper with a personalized list of products with customized "couponing" that would allow for savings on the grocery items that matter most while getting rid of the generic "one size fits all" grocery coupon industry that works now, but probably wastefully and inefficiently compared to a personalized program.

This is hugely significant, since it is yet another way that tech companies can get into the field of complete and personalized shopping experiences that target each consumer directly. As Google has no doubt proven, this methodology converts browsers into buyers and really makes the conversion rate and attach rate of purchases something that every retailer (food or otherwise) should be chasing down at ferocious speed. Soon, the days of generic shopping and non-targeted marketing will be retired and will be replaced by directed and targeted advertising and marketing for each individual consumer. If HP has its way here, the company could be at the forefront of such efforts.