Not only is association a linking tool from the known to the unknown, it is also a tool used to link something new or improved with someone we like, admire, or respect.

For example, do you remember when Michael Jordan did commercials for underwear? What does he know about underwear that you or I don’t? That’s right, nothing. Michael Jordan is simply someone that a lot of people like, admire, and respect.

Companies will pay millions of dollars to get a famous celebrity to endorse their product hoping that the consumers (you) will want to be just like him — “just like Mike.”

- From the book “Covert Persuasion” by Kevin Hogan and James Speakman

According to the WSJ’s “McDonald’s Bets James Won’t Make False Step“:

“McDonald’s said Thursday that its new relationship with Mr. James will kick off with his appearances in a Super Bowl XLIV pregame commercial. The ad is a remake of “The Showdown,” an iconic 1993 Super Bowl spot in which National Basketball Association legends Larry Bird and Michael Jordan sought to outdo each other, with seemingly impossible shots, to win a Big Mac.

The burger chain said its partnership with Mr. James will include more commercials, plus public appearances at McDonald’s-sponsored events, like the 2010 McDonald’s All-American High School Basketball Games.

Greg Luckman, president of GroupM ESP, a sports-and-entertainment marketing firm owned by WPP, mainly blames the economy for the falloff in the values of endorsement deals. The Tiger Woods backlash is helping to soften the market, he says, “but the impact of that is being seen more in how the deal terms are being negotiated.”

For example, Mr. Luckman says, advertisers are seeking shorter agreements and more flexibility. “If it’s a 10-year deal and something happens, it’s a lot more complicated to get out of it,” he adds.

The biggest change, sports marketing experts say: Advertisers are crafting tougher “morals clauses,” the provisions that let them out of the contract if the star misbehaves. The clauses are getting “broader and more-encompassing,” Mr. Luckman says.

David Schwab, vice-president and managing director of Octagon First Call, a celebrity-marketing arm of Interpublic, says that refusing major corporations a greater say in morals clauses “has become a deal breaker.” He adds that the James deal is “good for the business.”

People familiar with the situation say Mr. James will appear in the pregame Super Bowl commercial with Mr. Bird and Orlando Magic star Dwight Howard, both of whom have longstanding ties to McDonald’s. The ad, Mr. James’ first with McDonald’s, was directed by “Space Jam” director Joe Pytka.

McDonald’s has a long history of using athletes in its marketing. Past celebrity pitchmen include tennis superstars Venus and Serena Williams, basketball players Yao Ming and Kobe Bryant and professional skateboarder Tony Hawk.

- The Wall Street Journal