UNAIR NEWS – Universitas Airlangga, through its Directorate of Student Affairs, continues to support the development of student entrepreneurship. As part of the initiative, the university held the third Airlangga Young Entrepreneur (AYE) 2026 Bootcamp on Saturday, May 23, 2026, at the Ternate Auditorium in the ASEEC Tower on UNAIR’s Dharmawangsa B campus.
The event featured professional photographer and video editor Diana SM CT MTh and Vito Vito Dwiki Jhalu Adjie SE MM, an Area Marketing Associate Nutrifood Indonesia. The two speakers delivered complementary sessions covering product photography and business marketing strategies.
Product photography importance for entrepreneurs
Diana emphasized that photography is not merely an aesthetic element, but a sales tool that connects products with customers. According to her, product photos play a crucial role in replacing consumers’ physical experience with a product. “Customers cannot touch the product, smell it, taste it, or directly examine its quality. The role of photography is to replace that physical experience,” she said.
She also explained that artificial intelligence, smartphones, and DSLR cameras each serve different purposes in photography. AI, she said, is suitable for quick and simple needs, smartphones are sufficient for daily content creation and beginners, while DSLR or mirrorless cameras are more appropriate for professional use and larger brands because they produce more detailed and polished results. “When you’re producing daily content, a smartphone is enough. But once you move into professional work, you naturally transition to professional DSLR or mirrorless cameras,” she explained.
Marketing strategy as a key to growth
Complementing Diana’s session, Adjie discussed how marketing strategy plays a critical role in developing fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) products in e-commerce. According to him, marketing and promotion are not just about advertising, but about ensuring products consistently remain visible to customers.
Adjie outlined several effective promotional strategies, including bundle packages, buy-one-get-one offers, free shipping, flash sales, and special campaigns tied to double-date promotions and payday events. He also stressed the importance of utilizing marketplace SEO, digital advertising, and influencer collaborations to increase traffic and sales. “Advertising today is more efficient, more targeted, and more impactful. The challenge is maintaining every campaign so that people around us can become potential customers,” he said.
He also emphasized the importance of content quality and consistent promotion in driving sales conversions. Product descriptions, high-quality photos, ratings, and clear calls to action, he said, all significantly influence consumer decisions in online marketplaces. Adjie added that excessive use of AI-generated product images could reduce customer trust because the visuals often fail to accurately reflect the actual product. “Many people are now using AI-generated images, but it’s better to limit that use. Customers increasingly feel disconnected when the real product does not match the image presented online,” he said.
Author: Putri Andini
Editor: Ragil Kukuh Imanto
