Leroy Merlin turns the Louvre's 'LOUVRE' CCTV password into a camera promo code

On October 19, 2025, a gang disguised as workers entered the Louvre in Paris, used a lifting platform to reach the Galerie d'Apollon and fled with eight pieces of the French Crown Jewels in under eight minutes, in a theft valued at around $100 million. What captured the world's attention almost as much as the heist was the security failure behind it: the museum's video-surveillance system was protected by the password 'LOUVRE', a detail that spread across social media as an international joke about one of the most famous museums on Earth.

Leroy Merlin, France's largest retailer of home security cameras, saw the ridicule as a sales opportunity. With agencies BETC Paris and BETC Fullsix, it created 'The Password Heist': customers were invited to guess a promo code that unlocked 10% off security cameras, and every hint pointed to the obvious answer — LOUVRE. The activation ran from November 10 to 12, 2025, on Instagram and on product pages, applying the discount to more than 200 security products.

The mechanics were deliberately playful: a code to discover, a reward, and a story the public already owned. Crucially, the campaign never named the museum directly, sidestepping legal risk while letting the audience act as the amplifiers. Launched within about 24 hours of the news with zero production budget and zero paid media, the joke itself became the media plan as people posted the 'secret' code.

The results made the case an industry benchmark: an estimated €150,000–200,000 of incremental CCTV revenue in the first week and a 71% year-over-year increase in camera sales for the period. The work won a Silver Lion in Creative Commerce and a Bronze Lion in Social & Creator at Cannes Lions 2026 and was archived by D&AD, which credited the activation with an additional €200,000 in camera revenue.