Former Kansans wanted: Kansas launches $2M marketing campaign inviting you back home

Kansas state government has launched a national marketing campaign with a $2 million budget to try to convince former Kansans to move back to the Sunflower State.

The Kansas Department of Commerce announced Monday that it has launched the "Love, Kansas" talent attraction campaign.

"It's simple: We need more humans in Kansas to keep up with the phenomenal economic growth our state is experiencing," said Lt. Gov. David Toland, who is also the Commerce secretary, in a statement. "The best way to do that is to first approach Kansans who left the state for economic opportunities elsewhere and invite them to build a life in a place they know and have connections to, whether in their hometown or elsewhere in the state."

Kansas campaign asks 'boomerangs' to come home

Kansas officials hope they can boost the state's population by wooing past residents to return. The campaign is targeting "boomerangs" — people with previous ties to Kansas — while also seeking people without Kansas connections.

"With the Love, Kansas campaign, we aren't just extending an invitation to those who once called Kansas home to come back — we're also inviting families from around the country to build their lives in the Sunflower State," Toland said.

The Commerce Department had proposed a returning Kansans home marketing campaign in 2023 and requested $3 million, but the Legislature last year appropriated $2 million for the project . The money came from the economic development initiatives fund.

The agency said the "Love, Kansas" campaign "will focus on the state's abundant job opportunities, high quality of life, excellent education system and affordable communities." They added that it "will highlight Kansas as an exceptional place to live, work and raise a family."

The "Love, Kansas" campaign has a website and a video.

"What if you woke up every day and loved where you live? " the narrator says at the start of the video . "Really, truly loved the place you call home? Surrounded by family and a caring community in a quality neighborhood you can afford, where you can plant and grow your family, your career, your dreams. A place where life is what you make it. What if that place already exists right here in the heart of the heartland?"

The narrator later says, "You should love where you live, and you will love Kansas."

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'There are so many amazing things happening in Kansas'

The campaign will target key markets, focus on digital and social media platforms, engage influencers and include in-person events both inside and outside the state. Communities that partner with the campaign can get a $5,000 grant to assist in local efforts to attract new residents, while the campaign has already partnered with 19 pilot communities and seven universities.

"A primary goal is for communities across the state to do direct outreach to past residents they have a personal connection with, inviting them to return home," the state agency said.

"The collaboration already on display between so many partners underscores the enthusiasm for this campaign," said Bridgette Jobe, the state's tourism director, in a statement. "There are so many amazing things happening in Kansas right now; Love, Kansas gives us the chance to let people throughout the country know about them."

Jason Alatidd is a Statehouse reporter for The Topeka Capital-Journal. He can be reached by email at jalatidd@gannett.com. Follow him on X @Jason_Alatidd .

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Former Kansans wanted: Kansas launches $2M marketing campaign inviting you back home