Neighbourhood Watch Victoria taps Manifest for first major campaign in 40 year history

Neighbourhood Watch Victoria has appointed indie agency Manifest as its creative agency of record, to launch the community safety organisation’s first ever major campaign since its inception in 1983.

Manifest will deliver strategy, creative, production and campaign execution alongside media partner Superhuman to change behaviours and attitudes towards home safety spanning TVC, BVOD, digital, social, OOH and earned media across metropolitan Melbourne.

With Victorian crime at record levels, the campaign will reinforce the iconic brand’s role within the community all whilst engaging new audiences. The initial focus targets aggravated motivated motor vehicle crime — now one of the state’s top property-related crimes — with preventative messaging about home security habits. Anticipated to be in market early next year, the campaign marks the beginning of a broader evolution throughout 2026 and beyond for the not-for-profit.

“Neighbourhood Watch has been a trusted presence for decades, but we recognised the need to evolve against the backdrop of rapid rising crime and a new generation of Victorians that may not be as familiar with us,” says Bambi Gordon, CEO of Neighbourhood Watch Victoria. “Manifest’s creativity and understanding of how to drive behaviour change through cultural relevancy made them the natural choice to help us continue to make communities better, safer and friendlier places to live.”

Says Isabel Thomson-Officer, Co-Founder and Managing Director at Manifest: “Manifest is an agency that trades in cultural impact, building brands with a genuine positive influence on people’s lives. When Neighbourhood Watch came to us looking for a big idea to improve security habits, we saw a creative opportunity to reimagine home and car safety precautions for Victorians by any media necessary.

“That’s why this brief is so exciting; this is not about awareness, but driving action and behaviour change that will result in a very real impact at an individual, community and even societal level. Reigniting the power of collective action to help protect families and strengthen communities is exactly why we do what we do.”

The appointment follows a string of wins for Manifest in Australia, which has doubled revenue in six months with new clients on roster including Polestar, Zwift, JHL Collection Indonesia and the Victorian Department of Education.