German company turns thieves’ use of its lift in Louvre heist into a cheeky marketing win
A German company turned a Louvre jewellery heist into a viral ad campaign after its lift was used in the daylight robbery in Paris.
The Louvre Museum in Paris witnessed a daylight robbery on Sunday, as thieves made off with jewellery worth nearly 88 million euros (about $102 million) in just a few minutes.
Authorities said the culprits used a freight lift to access the Gallery of Apollo, forced open a window, smashed display cases, and fled the scene on motorbikes through central Paris.
The operation reportedly lasted less than four minutes. Among the eight items stolen were diadems, necklaces, earrings, and brooches encrusted with thousands of diamonds and other rare gemstones. The Louvre, which briefly closed following the incident, reopened on Wednesday amid tightened security.
German lift company turns incident into publicity
In an unexpected twist, a German company found itself at the centre of the story when one of its lifts was identified as part of the thieves’ operation. Böcker Maschinenwerke GmbH, a Werne-based manufacturer of furniture and construction lifts, saw its equipment used in the heist. While initially shocked, the firm’s response turned heads across social media.
“When you need to move fast,” read the tagline on Böcker’s new Instagram post, which featured an image of its ladder lift extending up to the Louvre’s balcony. “The Böcker Agilo transports your treasures weighing up to 400kg at 42m/min – quiet as a whisper.”
Check out the post here:
Viral marketing
Alexander Böcker, the managing director and third-generation owner of the company, told the Associated Press that he and his wife were “shocked that our lift had been misused for this robbery.” However, he added that “once the initial shock had subsided, black humour took over.”
The company quickly capitalised on the attention, launching a humorous social media campaign in German with a slogan translating to “when something needs to be done quickly.”
“We had hoped for a bit of attention and some good humour, but the feedback was overwhelming,” Böcker said, noting that most viewers appreciated the joke, though “not everyone shares this sense of humour.”
Despite its sudden fame, Böcker clarified that the lift is not approved for human transport. Meanwhile, French authorities continue to investigate the heist, which has been dubbed one of the most shocking thefts in France’s history.
