Yogyakarta, November 26, 2025 – The Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Study Program, Faculty of Agriculture UGM, held a Guest Lecture for the Agribusiness Management Course, featuring Prof. Wirawan Dony Dahana from The University of Osaka, Japan, as the guest speaker. This guest lecture, themed “Consumer Behavior,” aimed to enhance students’ understanding of modern marketing dynamics, particularly regarding consumer behavior in the digital age.
In his presentation titled “Marketing in the Digital Age: The Role of Media Multitasking and Word of Mouth,” Prof. Dony introduced the concept of Media Multitasking (MM), which refers to the simultaneous use of two or more media and its impact on advertising effectiveness, consumer visits to sales sites, and purchasing decisions. He emphasized that the influence of MM is not always negative. Research results show that the impact of multitasking greatly depends on consumer motives, such as efficiency, control over information, information needs, and habits. Analysis using a latent model shows that each motive produces different responses to advertising exposure, advertising repetition frequency, and media consumption context.
In the second part, Prof. Dony also discussed research related to Word of Mouth (WOM), especially Positive Word of Mouth (PWOM), as well as the factors that motivate consumers to recommend products. He explained the relationships among satisfaction, consumer commitment, market competition levels, service characteristics, and consumption visibility and their effects on the intention to spread WOM. In agribusiness, WOM can be a more effective, cost-effective, and credible communication strategy than traditional promotions, especially in the service market and for high-value agricultural products.
This guest lecture supports the implementation of SDG 4 (Quality Education) by improving digital literacy and students’ understanding of modern data-based consumer behavior. The material presented is also relevant to SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) and SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure) because it strengthens students’ capacity to design innovative marketing strategies to support agribusiness competitiveness.
Author : Aprilia Dwi Hastuti
Admin of the Website for the Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness, Faculty of Agriculture, UGM