Le Devoir has what some might consider an image problem.

Though the 112-year-old French-language newspaper has a good journalistic reputation and is one of the few independent large-circulation papers in Canada, it can be seen as stuffy, serious and over-intellectual.

So, for this year’s subscription campaign, the paper enlisted Rethink to come up with a campaign that broke through some of the cliches associated with Le Devoir, helped by using humour and self-awareness not typically associated with the news brand.

Ads appearing in transit, display and online videos have lines like “It’s not just for boomers; it’s still written so small” and “It’s not just to look smart on the Metro; it also works on the bus.” Some of the lines also poke fun at the newspaper’s historical political leanings: “It’s not just for lefties; right-handers read us, too.”

Media for the campaign was handled by Montreal’s Espace M.