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I have an idea.

Several years ago I received a direct mail piece from a bank that was very cleverly designed and written.

So clever, I decided to keep it.

The piece was one of those cardboard pop-ups that make you want to open it. Actually, even if you don't want to open it, it does so automatically when you pull it out of the envelope.

This mailer did what direct mail is supposed to do - make you look for at least a few seconds (if not for longer) and maybe even prompt a purchase or call or Internet inquiry.

That was the start of what became my "Idea File" - interesting tidbits of information, sample brochures and advertisements, newsletters, restaurant menus, price sheets, and the like. The common thread among them is that they are all either cleverly written, have interesting graphics, or use a unique approach to market their product or service. And, in my estimation, they would help move a prospect through the "AIDA" sales process - from Awareness to Interest to Desire to Action.

I haven't copied any of these items in my file, but I like to review them on a regular basis to inspire some "out of the box" thinking, especially when I'm doing similar work, such as creating a brochure, designing an advertisement, etc. This process helps me improve my work output and results. Really, why would I want to reinvent the wheel?

So what are some of the gems in my personal idea file? Here are some examples:

Promotional bookmarks from Walker-Clay, Inc. (www.walker-clay.com) you can customize with your advertising message. Many include a clever quote followed by the sponsoring company's logo at the bottom. These would be great for promoting a bookstore or library.

Sample brochures from Menus & Music (www.menusandmusic.com), a northern California company that packages cookbooks with CDs of related music to make a wonderful little gift package for a special occasion. There are several themes and titles including: holidays, dinners for two, music and food of Spain and many more. The way they've cleverly combined these two items into one package is a marketing masterpiece.

A full-page newspaper advertising insert printed on brown bag paper featuring oversized signatures of famous people who are known to have had physical disabilities (Helen Keller, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, etc.). It comes with the words, "These people overcame disabilities to make important contributions to the world. There are 12,000 people with developmental disabilities in New Mexico. Think what they have to offer." The Information Center for New Mexicans with Disabilities ad pulls at your heartstrings and creates an emotional response.

Rather than sending what could be a boring brochure describing financial planning services, Scott Cummings of Albuquerque-based Cummings Financial always gets my attention by sending me a personal letter with well wishes for each season, in this case spring, accompanied by a home gardening tip sheet and an envelope of mixed herbs seeds. Bravo, Scott!

A promotional piece by New Jersey-based Einson Freeman Agency in the form of a confidential r‚sum‚. It's cleverly written, including such things as "Personal Data - Height: Over $20 million annual billings with 32 active accounts; Weight: 40 employees; Married: To our clients, for longer-term contracts; Health: Excellent, growing at over 33 percent annually for the last six years; and, Children: 3 domestic and 5 international affiliated agencies." I like it because they use a familiar document in a novel way to pique your interest.

I don't have space here to describe the hundreds of other items in my "Idea File," but suffice it to say reviewing it regularly makes for a wonderful foundation to brainstorm new advertising and promotional campaigns, better sell my products and services, and enhance my conversations with my marketing peers. I highly recommend you start your own "Idea File" - it really is a great idea.

Sacco is vice president of marketing at Kirtland Federal Credit Union, and an adjunct professor at University of New Mexico Anderson Schools of Management and at Webster University.