The Role Of Social Media And Decoy Effect Strategies: Studies On The Process Of Choosing A University For Prospective Students

Abstract

The student admission system at the university is experiencing disruptions, it can only be carried out online during the Covid-19 pandemic. The decoy effect strategy is used to attract prospective students, namely a marketing strategy to increase product sales. This study aims to describe the role of social media and the decoy effect strategy in choosing a university. Quantitative descriptive approach with data collection techniques using observation, questionnaires, and in-depth interviews involving 101 respondents. The collected data is processed using Nvivo-12 plus and office excel. Processed data results are presented in tables and frequency graphs to facilitate analysis and discussion. The results show that the role of social networks and media-sharing networks are vital to understand university's reputation. At the same time, discussion forums play a supporting role in understanding financial factors. During Covid-19, dominant students experienced a decoy effect in choosing a university, especially a university's reputation and tuition fees. The implication is the importance of the Decoy effect strategy by utilizing social media to meet the target number of students.