Topeka ? Most people — without ever having set foot on the tallgrass prairie, having heard a “Rock, Chalk” chant or having watched a brand new plane take off from Wichita — have formed an image in their minds of Kansas.

State officials want to expand on whatever vision of the Sunflower State that might be.

Think big, they say. Dream.

And so, starting with a Web site that hints at the campaign to come, commerce officials are investing tax dollars aimed at developing that “brand” for Kansas, one that will help the state market itself to businesses looking to relocate and tourists seeking a new destination.

The Lawrence firm of Callahan Creek is developing the brand based on interviews and surveys.

The state is teasing that brand through a Web site, www.thinkkansas.org. Visitors are asked what’s the first thing that comes to mind when they think of Kansas. The text morphs into a tornado, revealing a photo of the Flint Hills and a promise of more to come.

“Think wide open spaces,” said Sally Lunsford, of the state Department of Commerce. “It’s giving people the freedom to dream and make big things happen.”

Kansas has had its share of dreamers, including aviation legends Clyde Cessna and Walter Beech. Lunsford said the new image was part of the goal to cultivate the next generation of innovators.

Patty Hubbard of the Travel Industry Assn. in Washington liked the teaser.

“It will be interesting to see what follows. It’s simple and easy to remember,” Hubbard said. “It says to me, ‘Maybe that’s a good thing.”‘

Legislators approved $700,000 last session to develop the brand, part of a package of economic incentives.

Kansas has tried several slogans over the past 30 years. “Linger Longer in Kansas,” “The Land of Ah’s” and “Simply Wonderful” were attached to tourism promotions. But Kansas spends only about $4 million annually on tourism. With few resources for national campaigns, the efforts were relatively low-key.

Hubbard said effective states stuck with a brand long term. She noted the success of the “I Love New York” and “Virginia is for lovers” campaigns that started more than 30 years ago.

Lunsford said Kansas wanted a durable image, adding: “You’re not going to change many minds in a month or so.”

Indeed, Kansas already has a solid reputation for good quality of life and a relatively low cost of doing business. Those are the type of things business executives focus on, as well as the kind of employees they can hire, said Dan Henry, president and chief operating officer of Euronet Worldwide in Leawood.

“People sell ideas, not slogans,” said Henry, whose electronic financial services firm employs 50 people in Johnson County and 650 worldwide. Tax and other financial incentives from state and local government play a bigger role than an image, Henry said. He’s sold on the dedication of workers in the Midwest.

“They really know how to work,” Henry said.

House Speaker Doug Mays, R-Topeka, said Kansas has had image problems since the Depression.

“I know that when I travel back East and talk to people that their perception is different from our perception of Kansas,” Mays said. “I think a certain investment in our image would be beneficial.”

Kansas does a good job representing what it has to offer, said Bill Crandall, vice president of the Zimmer Cos., a Kansas City-based development firm. Still, he said, Kansas is competing with states that have mountains and oceans.

Creating a brand that helps build exposure to what Kansas is about leads to further inquiries about taxes and incentives.

“Once they know about you, it really becomes an economic issue,” Crandall said. “They are competing with 49 other states who are trying to do the same thing.”