LET IT BE. PLEASE.

Dear Beatles (both living and dead),

On behalf of the entire advertising industry, I want to express my sincerest and deepest apologies. It seems that we have crossed the line of decency. The line of morality. The line that separates right and wrong.

It seems that we have found it acceptable to use your music – the music that started a movement and changed rock and roll – to sell stuff.

Earlier this year Target came out with their “Hello, Good buy” campaign. A pun-filled retail piece of garbage that I thought this fine company was above doing.

And now there’s Luvs’ act of criminal behavior. In their latest commercial, they are using your song, “All You Need Is Love” to sell their diapers. Of course, in the interest of a little brand recognition, your lyrics were altered read to “All You Need Is Luvs.” (Ugh.)

Tell me guys: When you were writing this song were you envisioning a half-naked toddler wrestling a teddy bear? When you penned that chorus, were you thinking of flexible Velcro?

I didn’t think so.

Which brings me to my first big objection to the use of this song.

When a piece of music is used in a commercial, it loses its original meaning and identity forever. With one airing, it goes from piece of art to jingle. And that’s just irresponsible on our part.

Granted, some songs are pretty light in the “art” category, which makes their inclusion in a commercial less offensive.

But your songs? The songs that changed and shaped a generation? They’ve got plenty of meaning and artistic relevance. And I don’t want them forever linked with a kid in a dirty diaper.

As a music lover, the Luvs ad deeply offends me.

But it also offends me as an ad guy. As a rule, I’m not real keen on using popular hits in marketing. It’s borrowed interest. It shows a lack of imagination on the agency’s part. (Isn’t imagination what we’re paid for?) And, more often that not, it’s just a veiled attempt to make a weak idea seem strong.

So John, Paul, George and Ringo, on your behalf, I send out a challenge to all advertisers.

Let’s be original

Let’s be sensitive to culture and history and art.

And let’s listen to the Luvs jingle the way it was meant to be.