/afaqs/media/agency_attachments/2025/10/06/2025-10-06t100254942z-2024-10-10t065829449z-afaqs_640x480-1-2025-10-06-15-32-58.png)
/afaqs/media/member_avatars/2025/08/14/2025-08-14t054814298z-img-20250526-wa0047-2025-08-14-11-18-15.jpg )
Follow Us/afaqs/media/media_files/2025/10/27/mixcollage-27-oct-2025-01-54-pm-469-2025-10-27-13-54-50.jpg)
The daylight robbery at the Louvre Museum in France has become the talk of the town, entering the Louvre into the vocabulary of those who probably didn’t even know of its existence before October 19. Banking on this virality, several brands have used this opportunity for some moment marketing.
Four thieves, seven minutes and eight stolen jewels; with all the makings of a blockbuster Hollywood movie or a gripping novel, the heist has inspired brands to jump on the global conversation and cultural phenomena spun out of the "Louvre Heist 2025."
1. The accidental triumph: McDonald's
McDonald’s was probably the first brand on the scene with its World Menu Heist, releasing just two days after the Louvre Heist. The campaign featured masked robbers stealing high-profile goods, including eight stolen items, and an item (Sour Cream & Black Pepper McShaker Fries) dropped mid-chase, just like the broken Empress Eugénie crown in the real heist, all of which were reminiscent of the Louvre heist. While the campaign was planned and launched before the robbery, the uncanny overlap meant the ad immediately gained massive real-time relevance, positioning the fast-food chain squarely in the centre of the global conversation.
2. The obvious winner: Böcker Maschinenwerke GmbH
No other brand has perhaps milked the Louvre heist as much as the German forklift company, Böcker Maschinenwerke GmbH. Since Böcker Maschinenwerke GmbH manufactured the forklift used in the original heist, the brand used aggressive real-time marketing to further their cause. "When you need to move fast. The Böcker Agilo transports your treasures weighing up to 400kg at 42m/min—quiet as a whisper," read the ad posted by the German company on their social media on an image of their lift next to the police cordon at the Louvre. Despite a few critics finding the ad distasteful, the post went viral globally.
3. Hopping onto the storage wagon: IKEA
The Swedish furniture company IKEA, known for its quick-witted advertising, also jumped into the conversation with its storage case, addressing the need for good display storage. In a tongue-in-cheek ad promoting one of its glass-dome display cases, IKEA posted, "Won't protect your crown jewels either. But it will give them the right spotlight."
4. The PR stunt conspiracy theories: Ocean’s Eleven and Now You See Me 3
The brazen and effortless nature of the heist immediately drew comparisons to famous heist movies from Hollywood, fueling a widespread social media conspiracy theory that the event was a massive, expensive marketing stunt.
Ocean’s Connection: The class and scale of the robbery were instantly likened to the Ocean's film series, involving all kinds of high-profile heists since 2001. George Clooney, who stars as Danny Ocean in the franchise, even jokingly commented that the studio should "CGI me into that basket coming out of the Louvre," capitalising on the cultural reference.
Now You See Me connection: Conspiracy theories for Now You See Me 3 gained traction on the internet after Lionsgate's social media accounts started banking on the opportunity. Fans noted that a heist at the Louvre would be a perfect plot point for the magic-heist franchise. The speculation became so intense that Lionsgate eventually had to issue a formal denial on social media: "We love the theory – but the Louvre heist isn't one of ours."
4. Bookworms rejoice: The Dan Brown Effect: While author Dan Brown did not release any official statement or advertisement, the Louvre heist created an organic cultural moment that referenced his work. Brown's novel, The Da Vinci Code, uses the Louvre Museum as the setting for clandestine societies and intellectual crimes. Social media users who double up as bookworms described the real-life robbery as being "straight out of a Dan Brown novel."
