Gokul Rajaram, who left Google late last year, said he wanted to help out because he views
Brandcaster as a logical extension of Google's "AdSense" — a system he helped launch in 2003
to distribute relevant advertising links to other Web sites.
Since then, AdSense has attracted more than $15 billion in advertising revenue.
Coupons are "one of the big bastions" of advertising that still hasn't made a significant move to
the Internet, Rajaram said. "I think this is can drive large amounts (of coupons) online."
If Rajaram's right, Brandcaster could drain even more revenue away from the beleaguered newspaper
industry, which has been cutting staff and other expenses to cope with advertising's accelerating
shift to the Internet.
Advertisers paid newspapers to distribute nearly 90 percent of the coupons issued last year for
packaged goods, according to NCH Marketing Services, which helps retailers turn in redeemed coupons
to manufacturers.
