Coupons: How much can you discount without hurting your brand?

In this recession, coupons are big business. Last month, Google searches for “coupons” surpassed searches for “Britney Spears”— Britney Spears ! Our long national nightmare of Britney obsession is over, replaced with something far worse, economic collapse. I digress. Here’s the thing: Consumers want deals, but how much can marketers discount without doing permanent damage to the brand? Depends on the brand, and what you’re selling.