Polecat vs SIGWATCH: NGO tracking or the whole outside world?

Published by Polecat. Polecat is one of the two platforms compared here, so we have an interest in the outcome. SIGWATCH details are drawn from SIGWATCH's own published materials as at October 2026, and we say plainly where SIGWATCH is the better fit.

The short answer

Polecat vs SIGWATCH comes down to scope. SIGWATCH is the stronger choice for corporate and public affairs teams that want deep, specialist tracking of NGO and activist campaigns, now summarised in its 0 to 100 Pressure Score. Polecat covers NGOs as part of the whole outside world, alongside media, regulators, academics, think tanks and investors, scoring every event consistently and weighting it to your strategy.

Polecat vs SIGWATCH at a glance

What does SIGWATCH do well?

SIGWATCH does one thing in real depth: it follows NGO and activist pressure on companies, issue by issue and campaign by campaign. For a corporate affairs team whose main external exposure is campaigning pressure, that focus is a genuine strength.

Specialist depth on pressure groups. SIGWATCH maintains a dedicated database of pressure group campaigns covering every major economy. It records who is campaigning, on what issue and against whom, and its specialists add political, social and legal context. It describes more than 14 years of campaign data.

A single, comparable pressure metric. In 2026 SIGWATCH launched its Pressure Score, a 0 to 100 score combining four dimensions: Direct Pressure; Issue Trends and Trickle-Down Risk; Geographical Pressure; and Pressure Group Dynamics. SIGWATCH describes it as comparable and trackable over time, placed in historical and sector context, and designed to separate noise from structural change.

Analyst-led reporting and advisory. Quarterly Pressure Pulse reports, Quarterly Horizon Scanning, Monthly Risk Updates and a Daily Pressure Monitor by email translate campaign data into issue forecasts. Advisory services cover stakeholder mapping, stakeholder engagement, peer benchmarking, supply chain vulnerability audits, message testing and crisis communications preparation. Polarization Pulse is listed as a new service.

Long-running academic use. SIGWATCH data is distributed to academic researchers through the Paris School of Economics, which speaks to the standing of the dataset.

Best for: corporate and public affairs teams that need specialist, campaign-level intelligence on NGO and activist pressure, with analyst reporting and engagement support.

What does Polecat do differently?

Polecat differs from SIGWATCH in breadth of sources, in a single scoring method across every type of development, in weighting to the client's strategy and in its projection horizon. Each point below rests on our published method, which is set out on our how it works page.

NGOs as one part of the whole outside world

Polecat monitors NGOs alongside news, regulators and policy bodies, academics and think tanks, earnings calls and AGMs, filings and enforcement, and investor and union sources. It draws on more than 1.4 million premium sources across 195 countries and merges many reports of one development into a single material event.

The reason is practical. An NGO campaign rarely moves alone. It may follow an academic study, prompt a regulatory consultation or surface as an investor question at an AGM. SIGWATCH links issue trends to campaigns; Polecat measures each of these developments in its own right and on one scale.

One scoring method across every source

Every event Polecat detects, whether an NGO report, a court ruling or a consultation paper, is scored on the same six factors: severity, velocity, sentiment, authority, reach and history. Each score is benchmarked against 20 years of comparable events, and every scored event updates the client's Risk Index, out of 100.

Both companies offer a 0 to 100 score that can be tracked over time, which is to SIGWATCH's credit. The difference is coverage. The Pressure Score measures pressure group activity; the Risk Index measures exposure across the whole outside world, so a committee can see whether NGO pressure or regulatory change is moving faster.

Weighted to your strategy

Polecat's Customer Intelligence Model calibrates to each client's own risk taxonomy, definitions and thresholds, so scores drop straight into the risk register. It also reflects the fact that the same event can be a risk to one company and an opportunity to another. A campaign against a product category may threaten one business and favour a competitor that has already changed its sourcing.

SIGWATCH's Pressure Score evaluation form asks clients about their business units, markets and posture, but its published materials do not describe weighting the score against a client's strategic priorities. For Polecat, that weighting is the core of the method.

A 3 to 6 month projection and a horizon scan

Polecat projects each risk 3 to 6 months ahead, with base, best and worst case scenarios and a probability attached to each. Its horizon scan looks 12 months back and 90 days forward and classifies each risk theme as chronic, recurring, emerging, dormant, contained or fizzled.

SIGWATCH's quarterly horizon scanning reports provide analyst forecasts of activism issues, which many corporate affairs teams value. Polecat's projection is quantified and carries an explicit probability for each scenario.

Built for the risk function and the board

Every Polecat score traces back to its source evidence, for audit trails and board reporting. Delivery follows the Two-Layer Model: Key Posting Alerts and Daily Risk Briefings each day and weekly Executive News Briefs; live dashboards, the platform workspace and board reports monthly or quarterly. An API feeds GRC and integrated risk management platforms, and MCP access lets teams query the data from AI assistants such as Microsoft Copilot, Claude and ChatGPT.

SIGWATCH also offers an API feed or secure FTP for internal dashboards. Polecat publishes its entry price, a fixed-scope £25K Risk Intelligence Audit; SIGWATCH does not publish prices.

When is SIGWATCH the better choice?

SIGWATCH is the better choice when NGO and activist pressure is the main external issue and the corporate or public affairs team owns the response.

• You need campaign-level detail: which groups are active, on which issues, in which markets and against which companies.
• Your team wants stakeholder mapping, message testing and engagement support from specialists in pressure group dynamics.
• Quarterly analyst reporting on activism trends fits your planning cycle better than a continuous risk score.
• You want a dedicated pressure metric, separate from wider risk measures, to report to leadership.

When is Polecat the better choice?

Polecat is the better choice when NGO pressure is one input among several and the question is how exposed the organisation is overall.

• Regulators, academics, think tanks, investors and the media matter to you as much as campaigning groups.
• You need one score that a risk committee can track over time and benchmark against peers and the industry.
• You need external risk weighted to your own taxonomy and strategy, so an event reads as a risk or an opportunity depending on your position.
• Your board wants a 3 to 6 month projection with scenarios and probabilities, and every score traceable to source evidence.
• You want scored events fed by API into your GRC platform, or queried through AI assistants.

At Wendy's, 25% of documented risks are first surfaced by Polecat's horizon scanning, before they appear anywhere else on the register. As Bob Bowman, its Chief Risk Officer, puts it: "you cannot model what you cannot see."

Can you use both Polecat and SIGWATCH?

Yes, and for organisations facing sustained campaigning pressure it can be the sensible arrangement. Polecat is designed to run alongside existing media monitoring and social listening tools rather than replace them, and the same logic applies to a specialist NGO dataset. A public affairs team might use SIGWATCH for campaign depth and engagement planning, while the risk function uses Polecat to see how NGO pressure combines with regulatory, media and investor developments in one Risk Index.

Our guide to Strategic External Intelligence sets out ten questions to ask any provider. For a wider field, see our roundups of the best stakeholder intelligence tools and the best ESG controversy and reputational risk data providers.

Frequently asked questions

Is Polecat a SIGWATCH alternative?

Partly. Both measure NGO and activist pressure, and both offer a 0 to 100 score that can be tracked over time. SIGWATCH specialises in pressure group campaigns and serves corporate and public affairs teams in depth. Polecat treats NGOs as one part of the whole outside world, alongside media, regulators, academics, think tanks and investors, and weights every event to the client's strategy. Teams focused only on activism may prefer SIGWATCH.

What is SIGWATCH's Pressure Score?

The Pressure Score, launched by SIGWATCH in 2026, is a 0 to 100 score built from four dimensions: Direct Pressure; Issue Trends and Trickle-Down Risk; Geographical Pressure; and Pressure Group Dynamics. SIGWATCH describes it as comparable and trackable over time, with component scores showing which issues, geographies or groups drive change. Its calculation and weightings are shared on request rather than published on SIGWATCH's website.

Does Polecat track NGO campaigns?

Yes. NGOs are one of the source types Polecat monitors, alongside news, regulators and policy bodies, academics and think tanks, earnings calls and AGMs, filings and enforcement, and investor and union sources. An NGO campaign is merged with related coverage into a single material event and scored on the same six factors as every other development, so its weight can be compared with regulatory or investor pressure.

Which is better for a chief risk officer?

For most chief risk officers, Polecat, because it produces a Risk Index across the whole outside world, calibrated to the organisation's own taxonomy and projected 3 to 6 months ahead, with an API into GRC platforms. SIGWATCH is the better fit where the risk in question is specifically NGO and activist pressure and the corporate affairs team owns the response.

How much do Polecat and SIGWATCH cost?

SIGWATCH does not publish its prices; it offers a free trial and consultations, with subscriptions such as Daily Pressure Monitoring. Polecat publishes its entry point: a fixed-scope Risk Intelligence Audit at £25K, which covers the risks moving fastest on your register, benchmarks them against peers and stands up both delivery layers in three weeks.

About Polecat

Polecat delivers Strategic External Intelligence: 20 years of measured, comparable evidence on the outside world, so risk leaders can see around corners.

The quickest way to judge it is to try the instant demo. Teams that want to see it on their own register can book the fixed-scope Risk Intelligence Audit, priced at £25K, which stands up both layers in three weeks and benchmarks the risks moving fastest against peers.

Related reading: The best stakeholder intelligence tools and What is Strategic External Intelligence?