On a more cautious note, he voiced the need for maintaining a balance, since 'there is a limit to what consumers can take'. Discounting it as a medium for revenue, he maintained, "Broadcasters will not do it for money as they can't make a lot of money out of it"

Maloo emphasized that "the issue is not so cut and dry" as to state that it should or should not be done. There were various factors, which according to him, needed to be taken into consideration. He raised the question of ethics and felt that children are the most affected. In Maloo's opinion, 'they may lack the discernment to differentiate between content and the advertorial.' He said that strategies for such vulnerable group should be treated with care.

He stressed on the need for regulation, and felt that more vigilance would be required to monitor such cases. Acknowledging its effectiveness as a potent tool, he felt in-content promotion should be priced sensitively and even at a premium, rather than at discounted pricing, as is happening now.

Sameer Nair felt that mixing of content with promotional or branding exercises should be done within limits, if at all. He said "the temptation is always there to go for such promo-program mixes".

Sameer Nair felt that mixing of content with promotional or branding exercises should be done within limits, if at all. Relating instances of the Coca-Cola and No-marks sponsored creation of pop stars, where contestants selected had to be seen using product as per advertising clause, he admitted "the temptation is always there to go for such promo-program mixes".

Said Nair, "Content-message integration is like a film special effect. It should have an impact without being intrusive. People don't notice it but they remember it". In Star's own case, he cited the policy of drawing a line with programs doing such promotions.

Sanjay Bhutiani, however, believed that there was nothing wrong for the film-based promos. He felt the brand should be a perfect fit with the script. He stated, "Globally this is a multi million dollar industry," and cited instances of $70 million collected for brand endorsements by Bond films and $100 million by a Bond-spoof!

According to Bhutiani such instances were due to the fact that marketers want their brands to be promoted across all possible activity segments. But he cautioned, "One bad placement dilutes the impact of 25 good ones." He felt that maintaining synergy between brand and script is crucial as it makes all the difference.

Paranjoy Thakurata- who joined the panel as a consumer felt 'his intelligence was insulted every time' he observed instances of blatant mingling of content and promotion. Though he felt the phenomenon was not new and recalled instances of such activities from the earlier decades.

Admitting to 'need and greed being always present ' he held out that the corrupt media-scribe nexus will also give way after a certain stage. His submittal was, "Consumers are discerning and not stupid. They can fairly differentiate between the editorial and paid promotions, even if they are a part of the content."

One of the delegates from a broadcasting company pointed out that while there are instances of blatant plugs, media house would figure out the viewers discomfort and react to restore faith and credibility. It was also pointed out that the marriage works beautifully in case of a social cause or issue that society is plagued with.

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