This German company turned a $102 million Louvre heist into a clever viral ad

After thieves used one of its furniture lifts in a $102 million Louvre heist, a German company Books turned the shocking moment into a viral marketing sensation.

The viral hitchhiking moment

On Sunday, four masked thieves climbed a window on the second floor of the Louvre, grabbed eight pieces of jewelry worth $102 million and descended a Böcker AgiLo furniture elevator to scooters waiting below. reported ABC News.

The daring robbery in broad daylight lasted just seven minutes.

Böcker, a third-generation family business based in Werne, Germany, immediately recognized its lift.

“At first we were shocked. It was a reprehensible act,” says CEO Alexander Böcker told the publication. But after it was confirmed that no one was injured, the company’s shock turned to humor.

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How Böcker turned the Louvre robbery into an advertising campaign

Böcker’s wife, Julia Scharwatzwho heads marketing at the company, proposed the slogan that went viral: “When you need to act fast.”

The company licensed the iconic photo of the elevator at the Louvre and posted it to social media Monday morning. The post quickly racked up more than a million views, up from the usual 20,000.

“More than 99% of the responses are positive,” says Böcker. “Some people wrote: ‘Who says Germans don’t have a sense of humor?'”

The elevator used in the robbery had been sold to a French rental company in 2020 and was stolen on the day of the robbery by the thieves posing as customers.

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Disclaimer: This content was produced in part using AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga’s editorial staff.

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