SIGWATCH is a trusted source of data for the company. It gives the energy company visibility of global risks and emerging issues, enabling ESG issue forecasting and responsible decision making

BACKGROUND

One of the largest energy majors in the world, operating in tens of countries, this company has pledged to reduce its carbon emissions by 20% by 2030 and to achieve net-zero by 2050.

BUSINESS REQUIREMENT

SIGWATCH’S NGO campaigning tracking is the company's qualitative data source of choice, which it uses alongside more quantitative social media tools to monitor trends in the oil and gas industry. Our data points complement the company's corporate issue tracking conducted internally.

SOLUTION AT A GLANCE

SIGWATCH helps the company remain on top of pressing issues and trends, like ESG issue forecasting, whilst providing vital intelligence for the wider business. Multiple departments including government relations, investor relations, corporate security, business, and country teams routinely consult SIGWATCH data to understand issues and risks and support decision-making.

SOLUTION IN ACTION

SIGWATCH data is used both proactively and reactively within the company. Teams share key highlights from their monitoring activity with internal stakeholders via weekly reports. Teams also use SIGWATCH data to respond to internal inquiries requesting more context on the NGO landscape, either pertaining to a specific topic or country. For example, when the company was considering developing an offshore play in a South American country, teams were able to provide a detailed analysis of recent and historic campaigning action in the region and in other countries, ensuring the company was not just aware of but also well-prepared for activist discourse.

The company says it not only uses SIGWATCH’s monitoring tool but also takes advantage of the SIGWATCH team’s deep expertise. Senior employees particularly value the quarterly analysis reports provided by SIGWATCH to assess key recent events, gain insights into emerging issues and better their ESG issue forecasting.

SIGWATCH’s founder-chairman Robert Blood regularly hosts webinars on topical issues for relevant teams; recently this included how the pandemic has affected NGO campaigning and what to expect in the future.

RESULTS

A senior employee says:

“SIGWATCH gives me the confidence that we haven’t missed anything, whether it is happening in the Philippines or Latin America, that could potentially become a corporate issue. It puts new campaigns and emerging issues on our radar.”

They cite a number of features that set SIGWATCH apart: “The advantage of SIGWATCH is that it provides global monitoring and monitors many different languages. Other providers are almost entirely limited to English, which isn’t always helpful when so many of the NGOs and civil society are campaigning in non-English speaking countries. Its huge database of historic data is also a major strength – and helps us observe trends. I’m not aware of any other providers offering that.”

According to senior team leads, SIGWATCH also adds value in the following ways:

Better decision-making through data-driven insights

SIGWATCH provides the insights required to make responsible decisions for the business. When the company was planning a move into an entirely new market, risks highlighted by SIGWATCH intelligence influenced its decision not to proceed.

Better response to issues through early warning

By forecasting emerging issues and trends, SIGWATCH enables advance planning and risk mitigation.

Intuitive, easy to use

SIGWATCH’s intuitive and easy-to-use desktop interface was widely cited as a great value add. “New members of our team wherever they are can quickly get up to speed on using SIGWATCH’s web database tools, extending the value of its data across the global organisation.”