‘Germans Do Have a Sense of Humor!’ Lift Truck Company Used in Louvre Heist Runs a Hilarious Ad
There’s not much funny about the Louvre heist. Thieves used an elevator truck to get into the second floor of the Louvre, smashed a display case, and grabbed $100 million worth of the country’s Crown Jewels. The police have made two arrests, but the treasures — a priceless part of French history — are still missing. Unlike artwork, they can be broken down and essentially sold as raw materials.
One of the most iconic images of the theft is the stolen “lift” truck abandoned, its boom still leaning against the Louvre’s upper window. And the company that built the truck climbed onto the opportunity for a viral marketing campaign.
Böcker lift trucks
What’s a lift truck? Many medieval cities such as Paris have lots of compact apartments with small staircases. Moving furniture in and out can be a nightmare. One modern solution is lift trucks with hydraulic booms and electric motors to carry heavy loads to high floors. The thieves stole one such truck, built by the German Böcker company on what appears to be a small cabover chassis. They used it to bypass the Louvre’s lofted ground floor and cut through the windows of the second floor (called the “first” floor by Europeans).
After their bucket-list burglary, they climbed back onto the lift and made a comically slow descent to the pavement. Though it was Sunday morning, passersby must have thought the men were working in the adjoining construction site. Seven minutes after arriving, they hopped onto waiting motorcycles and took off, diamonds in tow. Easel come, easel go.
French exit, German engineering
Alexander Böcker, CEO of the self-named lift truck company, was even more shocked than the rest of us when he saw the crime scene photos. That was his truck.
“We were shocked that our lift had been completely misused for this robbery, as it is not approved for transporting people… And certainly not intended for burglaries.” — Alexander Böcker
But as Böcker and his company thought about it, they came up with a marketing idea. They posted a licensed photo of the abandoned truck, its boom still leaning against the Louvre, to their Instagram. Their caption: pure gold. It went so viral, they translated the caption and posted it again in English.
“If You’re in a Hurry: The Böcker Agilo carries your treasures up to 400 kg at 42 m/min — quiet as a whisper thanks to its 230V electric motor.”
Comments came in from around the world — from “Brilliant” to a humorous request for a similar truck for “a little paint job” at the British Museum. But Böcker’s favorite comment? “Germans do have a sense of humor!”
