the price of endorsing... a beauty product

[vil]

Dear teachers,

Recently I read Ernest Hemingway's "The short happy life of Francis Macomber". I was deeply impressed by the usage of a very confusing for me word, namely "endorsing". (Please see the following excerpt bellow).

Mrs. Macomber looked at Wilson quickly. She was an extremely handsome and well-kept woman of the beauty and social position which had, five years before, commanded five thousand dollars as the price of endorsing, with photographs, a beauty product which she had never used.

I assume that the meaning of the expression "the price of endorsing.....
a beauty product " that follows as a logical consequence of the written above is "She was paid five thousand dollar for acknowledging that she owed her beauty to a certain beauty product (cream or like) which was being advertised."

I know a few other usages of similar expressions like:

"No one but Adidas, who swooped in to sign the young star (Kobe Bryant) to a product endorsement contract."

"The athlete (Michal Jordan) has made a fortune in commercial endorsements of products such as ...."

"Other endorsement contracts were signed with Mc.Donalds, Chevrolet,...."

"Jordan became an institution with commercial endorsement running from Nike shoes, to Gatorade sport drinks, to Hanes underwear."

Could you tell me something more in plain English referring the expression in question?

Thank you in advance for your efforts.

Regards.

V.

[Ouisch]

It means the person advertises a product. They might appear in TV commercials, print ads, on billboards, or do in-store promotions.

For example, here is Joe Namath endorsing Noxema shaving cream.

And nylon stockings.

I guess ol' Broadway Joe would endorse anything for the right money.

[vil]

Hi Ouisch,

Thank you for your superb verbal explanation. Thank you also for your pictorial explanation. I approve your visual method for teaching.

I agree with your guesswork regarding th faculty of Joe Namath. I liked his words "You learn how to be a gracious winner and an outstanding loser." as well as "We did it! WE DID IT!"

Thank you for your backing.
(Between you and me "back" together with advocate, get behind, recommend, stand behind, support, uphold is a synonym of endorse.)

Regards.

V.