Evidence of Credibility Branding in History

I am watching a special called Assume the Position 201 with Mr. Wuhl. It looks at the myths in American History. Comedian Robert Wuhl cites an interesting story about how Franklin Pierce the 14th president of the United States) marketed himself through his college buddy Nathaniel Hawthorne. Nathaniel wrote glowing testimonials about him in a book devoted to Peirce. At the time Hawthorne was like a rock star, having written three of the most popular books of the time including The Scarlet Letter. This association and endorsement by Hawthorne turned the tides for Peirce who had been a relatively unknown candidate.

This is a perfect example of using influencers to increase your status that the Credibility Branding model is based on. See this has been in use for literally centuries!