The daring daylight robbery at the Louvre Museum on Sunday left France reeling in shock and fury. Thieves scaled a second-floor window, made off with invaluable jewels, and then brazenly descended to their escape scooters using a furniture elevator.
However, for the German company responsible for manufacturing that very elevator, this audacious crime presented an unexpected and unmissable marketing opportunity.
Alexander Böcker, CEO of the German machinery firm Böcker, and his wife, Julia Scharwatz, immediately recognized their distinctive Agilo truck-lift from news reports, he confirmed in a Reuters interview on Thursday. Just one day after the heist, they launched a clever new advertising campaign across social media platforms.
Their advertisement ingeniously featured a photograph of the lift outside the Louvre, proclaiming, “When you’re in a hurry, the Böcker Agilo carries your heavy treasures.”
This swift marketing move perfectly capitalized on the internet’s obsession with the Louvre heist—a lightning-fast operation that took under ten minutes and, thankfully, resulted in no physical injuries, only a blow to French national pride. The company secured the photo rights on Monday morning following a rapid brainstorming session among Mr. Böcker, Ms. Scharwatz, and their team.
“We’ve even received international feedback commenting, ‘Hey, it turns out you Germans do have a sense of humor after all,’” Mr. Böcker recounted in the Reuters interview.
Böcker’s main office is located in Werne, a town in western Germany, approximately 400 miles from the Louvre. Ms. Scharwatz informed The Guardian that the Agilo elevator used in the heist was originally stolen by the Louvre thieves from a Paris-based company that had purchased it from Böcker in 2020.
The company was unavailable for immediate comment on the matter.
Mr. Böcker clarified to Reuters that the decision to launch the ad was made only after confirming no injuries had occurred, and they intentionally avoided active promotion in France. Domestically, however, the campaign has been a resounding success, particularly among Germans who appear to be enjoying a touch of ‘schadenfreude’—finding delight in their neighbor’s unexpected mishap.
An Instagram commenter on Böcker’s post enthusiastically declared, “Excellent! This is German quality.”