The 2024-25 NHL regular season is mere weeks away from beginning, and that means some previously ad-free hockey jerseys (and helmets) will be getting a bit more clutter. On Monday, the Washington Capitals were the latest team to slap an advertisement on their white sweater.
The Los Angeles Kings have now joined the ad-party, and have announced a new “Official Away Jersey Patch Partner” — with a company called Iron Bow.
According to the Kings, the arrangement represents “a new strategic, multi-year partnership with Iron Bow Technologies, which marks Iron Bow’s first official sports partnership in Los Angeles and underscores its commitment to the growth of professional hockey.”
The jersey ad is white and features “Iron Bow” in thin black letters. It will be placed on the right side of the players’ jerseys, on the upper chest.
This is not the first jersey advertiser for the Kings. In the fall of 2023, the team sold space on its black home jersey to an insurance company. And the Kings already have a different insurance provider ad on their helmets.
So now, like the Capitals, the LA Kings have ads on both their dark and white sweaters, as well as their helmets.
We can expect more jersey (and/or helmet) ads as the NHL season inches closer.
I love it that the ad will disappear into the jersey, rendering it almost invisible.
Do these ads really do anything for the companies or are they more of a vanity project thing? I had to read a few paragraphs to find out what Iron Bow is/does and I’m still clueless. Ads for such companies really don’t resonate with the fans, as in the fans saying “Hmm, I should check out Iron Bow.” It seems that something with a broader marketing base (Honda, Coca-Cola, etc.) would make sense as an ad. I suppose the teams will take any money they can though at this point.
Maybe in the future teams will make up company names themselves if no companies show any interest, just to look like the other teams: really professional, as we also have an Official Alternate Jersey Partner…
Royal Drown, official softdrink Jersey Partner of the Los Angeles Kings!