After days of drama, Brabus CEO Constantin Buschmann is now speaking out for the first time. PA Sports and Luna react live to the statement.
After the Internet was in an uproar for days because of the media-wide dispute between PA Sports, his wife Luna Rabea and Mili Umicevic regarding a Mercedes G-Class with Brabus tuning, Brabus CEO Constantin Buschmann has now also spoken out. He went public for the first time after his fiancée put the tuning brand in a more or less negative spotlight on social media.
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In the last few days, numerous videos and comments have been circulating about the dispute, which was originally “just” about a birthday present that turned out to be a fake Brabus tuning package. The affected Luna Rabea and the German rapper PA Sports reacted live to the statement.
“Neither necessary nor in line with the brand” – Buschmann takes responsibility
In an Instagram statement, Constantin Buschmann admitted his company’s incorrect communication. It was said: “The communication that was perceived in this context on behalf of Brabus was too personal and therefore unprofessional. I did not clearly delegate responsibilities within the team.” According to his own statements, the CEO and fiancé of Mili Umicevic, who went viral, “takes sole responsibility for the misdirected communication.”
In an interview with “WAZ” on October 13, Buschmann explained that Brabus as a brand had developed “incredible momentum” over the past two years. Many eyes are now on the Bottrop company – since the comment spat between his fiancée and Luna Rabea began, this attention has even tripled. “The popularity of the brand is something we are proud of,” said Buschmann. At the same time, however, his company also has a problem with “free riders with criminal energy” who would try to copy his products.
In his social media statement, Buschmann took up this topic and soberly repeated what Umicevic had commented on Luna Rabea’s photo days earlier. The counterfeit vehicles “not only endanger our brand image, but also potentially, above all, the safety of people.” At this point at the latest, the Brabus team becomes emotional. Buschmann was aware that this form of interaction was unprofessional. At the same time, he defended his fiancée’s actions from the point of view of “emotional involvement”. “Brabus stands for passion, precision and integrity – even when things get stormy,” it said on the last slide of his statement.
This is how PA Sports and Luna Rabea react
At the time Brabus’ statement was published, PA Sports and Luna Rabea happened to be on a live Twitch stream and spontaneously reacted to the CEO’s words. “It’s okay, but not breathtaking,” commented PA Sports. In his opinion, Buschmann apologized to the public to protect the brand identity, but not to Luna Rabea personally. The statement sounds impersonal and Umicevic’s behavior is not being treated appropriately in the couple’s eyes.
The Essen rapper summarized the course of the conflict from his perspective. He emphasized that he did not have the necessary expertise to recognize the fake Brabus tuning package. “It was all about the turquoise seats,” interjected Luna Rabea – she had spotted the now infamous G-Class in the background of a video made by her husband, who gave her the car for her birthday. “The thing is: such a shitstorm actually only breaks out when someone behaves badly afterwards. If she had simply apologized in the comments, the matter would have been settled after three days,” explained PA Sports.
PA Sports gives shitstorm tips
When it comes to shitstorms, PA Sports sees itself as a kind of manager, as friends and colleagues have already experienced similar things. The rapper believes that the public pays particular attention to a person’s behavior after a misstep. In doing so, he indicated that Umicevic’s – in Buschmann’s words, “passionate” – appearance on social media was the main reason for the uproar, not the counterfeiting of the tuning package itself. He also believes that there have already been similar dynamics in the automotive industry surrounding Mili Umicevic, triggered by her tone in the comments.
At this point, Luna Rabea spoke in more detail for the first time: “I think many people were just waiting to say something about her.” The influencer added that, objectively speaking, the tone on the internet does not correspond to netiquette: “You don’t do that, when someone is attacked, you don’t do that.”
Brand image in the bucket?
The fact that Mili Umicevic himself could be to blame for the situation was not discussed in the couple’s stream – however, the comments under the video gave a different picture. The self-proclaimed “shitstorm manager” PA Sports emphasized that as a media person you need a “certain ability to judge” to deal with such situations. He gave example questions: “What is my standing, how do people see me? Am I a polarizing person? Would that be well received or not well received?”
PA Sports later quoted Luna Rabea’s father as saying there was “no negative publicity”. Ultimately, we don’t know whether Brabus and Mili Umicevic don’t see the drama positively. Luna Rabea, on the other hand, was critical: After the media uproar, she looked at the brand differently and didn’t know whether she would still become a customer as an outsider. “Now you know who the people are behind it,” she said. And further: “I thought it was a blatant international brand and not our neighbors in Bottrop, who don’t even tolerate it.”
Buschmann: Brabus wants to improve
According to Buschmann, the company wants to adapt its strategies in order not to lose customers as a result of the Internet scandal and to protect the brand image. In his statement, he announced a series of measures – from awareness campaigns to legal action and a new communication strategy “that allows for mistakes, but not disrespect.”
PA Sports and Luna remained critical. They have now sold their Mercedes G-Class and no longer see themselves as customers of the tuning company. Mili Umicevic has withdrawn since YouTuber Omid’s failed attempt to resolve the dispute. Even after her fiancé’s statement, things remained quiet about the “Director of Brabus VIP Relations”.
In the comments column, Umicevic is still accused of having exposed Luna Rabea and thus damaged Brabus’ image. Whether the conflict has actually been resolved will probably continue to be followed online.