To "the," or not to "the"?

I think FBM just did that. When trying to promote their product with fans, Chicago Bears, refers to itself as "The Chicago Bears."

Sometimes they favor "your Chicago Bears."

This is a perfect example of why I prefer to teach descriptive instead of prescriptive grammar.

but that is a different sort (sports team) of advertising circumstance. The corporate world ...sports teams...not-so-subtle different atmosphere.

I'll bow out here as my point was made.

The customer is right. They're paying for it, so give them what they want. That is if you want them to consider you for their next advert.

I've noticed "the" usage is different in the UK. In 'murika we don't go to hospital, but to **the** hospital.

But there's only 1 Microsoft. You don't even have to follow it with "Corporation" because people know you're talking about THE Microsoft. How many Councils are out there?

Which council are we talking about in the ad? The one on tourism, not any other council. In other words, the Council on Tourism.

Truth be told, the customer is often wrong. We're frequently asked to do things that are completely & totally illegal ("Can I use this clearly copyright protected popular song in my commercial?") and must explain why we must do some things and cannot do other things. The customer knows their business quite well, as I do mine. Honestly, I'm LESS worried about proper grammar and MORE concerned with whether or not it's going to sound "wrong" to my listeners' ears.

Thank you for your reply! Please see my reply to another post you made re: different "the" usage in the UK. I'd argue that here in the states most people WOULD say "the" in front of the city council name in the example you gave. Just like the hospital example I use in my other post, it just wouldn't "sound right" to American ears to say "I work for Brown County Sheriff's Office," even if it's totally appropriate to say it that way. 99% of 'Muricans would say "I work for the Brown County Sheriff's Office."

Probably the best advice given so far!