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Journals / Communicata / 2026 / Sayı: 32

Anatomy of the Proto-Influencer: Exploring the Pre-Digital Influencer Marketing and Sales Funnel Relationship in Yüz Numaralı Adam

Proto-Influencer'ın Anatomisi: Dijital Öncesi Influencer Pazarlama ve Satış Hunisi İlişkisini Yüz Numaralı Adam ile Keşfedilmesi

Doğan Başaran0000-0002-4059-5171
Mehtap Odabaş Sargın0000-0003-0251-151X
Pages
30–42
Publication Date
2026-09-04
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AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

The findings reveal that the protagonist, Şaban, functions as a “proto-influencer,” whose trajectory from an ordinary citizen to an advertising icon anticipates the logic of credibility, authenticity, and parasocial relationships that drive digital influencer culture today.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

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Objective & Hypothesis:The aim of this study is to analyze how Yüz Numaralı Adam anticipates and critically reflects the mechanisms of persuasion, mediated influence, and consumer behavior that underpin modern influencer marketing practices, by employing the conceptual frameworks of influencer marketing and the sales funnel model.
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Key Findings & Data:The study employs a qualitative thematic analysis.
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Conclusion & Impact:The findings reveal that the protagonist, Şaban, functions as a “proto-influencer,” whose trajectory from an ordinary citizen to an advertising icon anticipates the logic of credibility, authenticity, and parasocial relationships that drive digital influencer culture today.
🔬Design:Modeling & Simulation
📍Scope:Comprehensive Sample
⚙️Variables:Influencer Pazarlama · Satış Hunisi · Proto-Influencer

Abstract

The aim of this study is to analyze how Yüz Numaralı Adam anticipates and critically reflects the mechanisms of persuasion, mediated influence, and consumer behavior that underpin modern influencer marketing practices, by employing the conceptual frameworks of influencer marketing and the sales funnel model. The study employs a qualitative thematic analysis. The findings reveal that the protagonist, Şaban, functions as a “proto-influencer,” whose trajectory from an ordinary citizen to an advertising icon anticipates the logic of credibility, authenticity, and parasocial relationships that drive digital influencer culture today. The application of the sales funnel model exposes how the film satirizes the sequential process of consumer persuasion. Moreover, the film critiques the commodification of selfhood and dramatizes the fragility of trust. When the defective products lead to consumer disillusionment, the film models the reversal of the sales funnel via negative word-of-mouth. Şaban’s eventual ethical resistance and public confession highlight that moral accountability is the most precarious yet redemptive aspect of the influence economy. Ultimately, the film warns that persuasion is relational and fragile; when authenticity is commodified and trust is betrayed, ethical reflexivity retains the only sustainable foundation for credibility and long-term engagement.

Özet

Çalışmanın amacı; influencer pazarlaması ve satış hunisi modeli kavramsal çerçevelerini kullanarak, Yüz Numaralı Adam filminin, modern influencer pazarlaması pratiklerinin temelini oluşturan ikna, medya aracılı etki ve tüketici davranışı mekanizmalarını nasıl öngördüğünü ve eleştirel bir biçimde yansıttığını analiz etmektir. Çalışmada nitel tematik analiz yöntemi kullanılmıştır. Elde edilen bulgular, başkarakter Şaban’ın, sıradan bir vatandaştan reklam ikonuna uzanan dönüşüm yolculuğunun, günümüz dijital influencer kültürünü yönlendiren güvenilirlik, sahicilik (otantiklik) ve parasosyal ilişkiler mantığını öncelediği bir “proto-influencer” işlevi gördüğünü ortaya koymaktadır. Satış hunisi modelinin uygulanması, filmin tüketicileri ikna etme sürecinin aşamalı yapısını nasıl hicvettiğini gözler önüne sermektedir. Ayrıca film, benliğin metalaştırılmasını eleştirmekte ve güvenin kırılganlığını dramatize etmektedir. Kusurlu ürünlerin tüketicide hayal kırıklığına yol açmasıyla film, satış hunisinin olumsuz ağızdan ağıza iletişim yoluyla tersine dönüşünü modellemektedir. Şaban’ın nihai etik direnişi ve kamusal itirafı, ahlaki hesap verebilirliğin etki ekonomisinin en hassas ama aynı zamanda en kurtarıcı yönü olduğunu vurgulamaktadır. Sonuç olarak film, iknanın ilişkisel ve kırılgan olduğu; sahicilik metalaştırıldığında ve güvene ihanet edildiğinde, etik düşünümselliğin güvenilirlik ve uzun vadeli etkileşim için tek sürdürülebilir temel olarak kaldığı uyarısında bulunmaktadır.

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Cite This Article

Başaran, D., Sargın, M. O. (2026). Anatomy of the Proto-Influencer: Exploring the Pre-Digital Influencer Marketing and Sales Funnel Relationship in Yüz Numaralı Adam. Communicata, Sayı: 32, 30–42. https://doi.org/10.32952/communicata.1923761

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