Seniors are the fastest-growing segment of Canada’s population.
And they’re not just living longer—they’re living better.
Today’s seniors …
Control a large share of disposable income.
Spend on travel, health, home, and personal comfort.
Value quality of life and are open to new services that improve it.
If you’re a marketer, this is a huge opportunity.
But there’s a catch: reaching them is harder than it should be.
Let’s talk about why — and how Cleanlist has fixed the problem.
Seniors Prefer Traditional Channels
While younger Canadians respond to online ads and social media, seniors still prefer:
- Direct mail
- Telemarketing
- Print ads
These channels still perform well—when used correctly.
The challenge is getting the right list.
The Usual Way to Target Seniors in Canada
Because of Canadian privacy laws, marketers can’t buy lists based on a person’s age.
That’s considered sensitive personal information.
So what’s the workaround?
Most marketers use age-modelled postal codes.
These are areas where the average age is 55 or older. Companies like Environics Analytics, Canada Post, and others recommend this approach.
Here’s how it works:
- Analysts look at census data.
- They find postal codes where the average age is 55+.
- Marketers use these areas for seniors-focused campaigns.
Sounds reasonable, right?
It is. But it’s also highly flawed.
The Problem with Average Age Targeting
Here’s what happens with age-modelled postal codes:
- Many seniors don’t live in “senior” neighbourhoods.
- Many non-seniors do live in those same areas.
- Postal code averages mask reality—because many neighbourhoods are age-mixed.
So, marketers …
- Waste money targeting households that don’t include seniors.
- Miss millions of seniors who live in areas that don’t meet the average.
This leads to lower response rates, less efficient campaigns, and smaller market reach.
There had to be a better way.
Now, there is.
Cleanlist Has Reimagined Senior Targeting
At Cleanlist, we looked at the flaws of postal-code modelling and asked:
What if we could do better?
So we built an AI-based system to estimate the age of household occupants—without ever knowing their actual age.
Using privacy-compliant methods and a lot of smart data science, we now predict:
- Which households are likely to be senior-occupied.
- Which are not—regardless of the neighbourhood average.
The result? A targeting solution that’s smarter, more accurate, and more powerful.
The Cleanlist Difference: By the Numbers
Here’s how our AI-driven approach compares to traditional methods:
- Eliminates 20% of households from “senior” postal codes that don’t actually have seniors.
- Adds 90% more senior households that traditional methods miss.
- Identifies 4.9 million senior-occupied households in Canada.
- (Compared to just 2.4 million using postal code targeting.)
This means:
- More precision.
- Less waste.
- A bigger market to go after.
And that’s not just theory.
What Early Clients Are Seeing?
Marketers who’ve tested Cleanlist’s senior targeting are reporting:
- Up to 10X better ROI on direct mail and telemarketing campaigns.
- Much higher response rates.
- Access to a total addressable market (TAM) that’s nearly double.
This isn’t just better—it’s a breakthrough.
Who Is This For?
This new approach is perfect for any marketer targeting:
- Travel, insurance, or financial services for retirees.
- Home care, health, or wellness products.
- Home improvement, safety, or comfort upgrades.
- Lifestyle brands serving 55+ consumers.
If your ideal customer is 60+, we can help you reach them more directly and cost-effectively.
Want to See What This Looks Like?
Cleanlist offers:
- Free counts – see how many seniors live in your market.
- Test campaign support – evaluate results before scaling up.
- List licensing – send mail or make calls with confidence and control because we actually give you the mailing or phone list.
We work with qualified marketers to test and prove the results before making a big investment.
Ready to Target Canada’s Seniors the Smart Way?
You don’t need to settle for postal code averages anymore. Cleanlist gives you a next-generation solution to target real senior households—accurately, ethically, and affordably.
Get in touch with our sales team to:
- Get your free counts.
- Run a pilot campaign.
- See the Cleanlist difference for yourself.
Cleanlist is Canada’s largest provider of customer data cleaning, enrichment, and acquisition solutions.
We help marketers reach the right people, with the right message, at the right time.
Stop guessing. Start targeting. Especially when it comes to Canada’s most valuable—and fastest-growing—seniors audience.
