For those who know me or my work, Wilder Ideas has been a labor of love for most of my life. I have always enjoyed mailing things and creating ideas that were just this side of normal (or crazy) and working my ideas into traditional systems like the U.S. Post Office and main stream corporations. In 1985, while working as the Director of Advertising and Promotions at the Sheraton Denver Tech Center (the largest hotel in the Denver Tech Center at the time), the wonderful staff encouraged me to be as creative as possible...the ideas of Bottle Mailings and three-dimensional packaging took hold and began to flourish.
The response to the themes I developed and the reactions to the unusual mailers were AMAZING and I knew I had found my nitch. Most companies are hesitant to bend the rules or try something totally "out of the box"...but for me, it was a challenge I enjoyed and my employers and future clients embraced my desire to do what had never been done before.
In 1989, with two wonderful clients, I started Wilder Ideas. In just the first three years, we were mailing basketballs for the Denver Nuggets, footballs for the new Invesco Field at Mile High, introducing tourists to the Mile High City and had started working with some of the nation's best known consumer electronics companies (Hewlett Packard and Apple Computer).
It's difficult to talk about the "best" or the "most creative" project, because they all take on a life of their own. From 27,000 rubber fish mailed with messages down their throats for Exabyte to 7,000 hand grips that talked about "Getting A Grip On Your Retirement" for JB Hunt and Merrill Lynch, each and every Wilder Idea sends a message that is recognized and remembered for years to come.
Many of my clients have stayed around for years and I have had the opportunity to work with so many different types of companies. Whether it's an annual event for the Young Presidents Organization, a community assistance program like the Denver Mayor's PJ Party, a sales blitz for companies like Zoll Data and Coalfire or the groundbreaking invitation for Denver Pepsi Center, it's a challenge I welcome and enjoy. They still talk about me at the Post Office Mailing Requirements Office (my projects are even on display). I am still fortunate to work with Visit Denver, the Convention and Visitors Bureau, Destination Colorado (going on more than 15 years), many hotels and resorts, like RockResorts and Vail Resorts, and in 2007 I started working on an annual event for a client in Dublin, Ireland. Yes, business has and continues to get wilder and wilder and wilder!
When the theme, design and mailing side of my business slows down, I've found a new strength in organization and design. Just recently I started work with the University of Denver on a long-term project to offer "Dorm Room Designs" to students and their parents...the next step may be into the home or real estate business to help organize closets, drawers and pantries (something no one else seems to want to do).
Please follow along and see what's been done, what's in the planning stages and what Wilder Ideas might be coming down the road.
If you want to see photos (of course, I keep EVERYTHING) or want to talk ideas, just give me a call.
Mikki
303.741.4050
www.wilderideas.com
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