
EXECUTIVE BRIEF
Successful business executives know the value and benefits of having great employee communications. It shapes the culture of an organization, impacts productivity, and influences employee engagement.
But what about when communication isn’t what it should be, when employees are either kept in the dark or not informed as they should be about company purpose, goals, and direction, their own roles, and what’s expected from them?
The answer is straightforward and unambiguous—poor employee comms hurts employees, customers, and ultimately the financial bottom line. The question is, how much?
At Poppulo, we work closely with the best companies in the world who take their employee communication very seriously indeed. But to truly understand the impact that good comms—and bad comms—can have on the business, we decided to embark on a research project to quantify that value.
We commissioned an independent research company to survey 500 C-Suite and senior executives at companies with over 5,000 employees in the USA, EU, and UK—and we presented the findings at a webinar hosted by Priya Bates, President of Inner Strength Communication Inc., and Rich Tobin, Director of US Sales at Poppulo.
In this executive brief, we’ll dive into the key takeaways from the webinar, plus how internal comms can have a larger impact on the workplace and customer experience.

Christine Kendall
Content Marketing Manager, Poppulo

Priya Bates
President

Rich Tobin
Director of Sales US
Internal communication is under real pressure. IC teams are expected to support leaders, shape culture, and deliver relevant, personalized communication to an increasingly diverse audience—all while operating at greater speed and scale than ever before. AI arrives at the right moment. It doesn’t replace communicators; it elevates them. Applied well, AI sharpens the fundamentals of effective communication: diagnosing issues, shaping the narrative, guiding leaders, and delivering messages that connect people to purpose and progress. At its best, AI accelerates drafting, adapts content for different formats, improves accessibility, and surfaces insights about what’s landing. Without governance, though, it can create noise or risk. The opportunity for IC teams is to bring AI in thoughtfully, with governance and human judgment at the center. This guide shows how to do exactly that. Inside, you’ll find practical guidance on when to use AI, where humans remain essential, how to establish guardrails, how to prompt effectively, and how to scale AI responsibly across channels and teams.
Manufacturing and production facilities are operating in an era defined by disruption, labor shortages, supply chain volatility, and rising safety and compliance demands. Leaders are under constant pressure to optimize processes, reduce downtime and rework, improve quality, and engage a workforce that is largely deskless. In this environment, clear, real-time communication isn’t a “nice to have”—it’s mission-critical. Yet production-floor employees are often the hardest to reach. Traditional channels like email, mobile apps, and intranet platforms don’t effectively connect with workers who don’t have access to devices during their shifts. When communication breaks down, so does alignment around KPIs, safety protocols, quality standards, and company goals. Digital signage has become a critical infrastructure layer in modern manufacturing environments. Together, Poppulo and BrightSign® enable manufacturers to deploy secure, scalable, and high-performance digital signage networks across thousands of endpoints. From KPI dashboards and manufacturing execution systems (MES) integrations to safety communications and employee engagement initiatives, this guide explores how manufacturers can leverage enterprise-grade digital signage to drive operational excellence, strengthen culture, and future-proof their production floor communications.
Manufacturing facilities face unique challenges when it comes to driving productivity, safety, and operational efficiency with a primarily deskless workforce—many of which can be addressed with strategically deployed digital signage. From production dashboards and manufacturing execution systems (MES) displays to wayfinding, standard work signage, safety messaging, and general employee communications, digital signage is an effective way to reach all on-site workers, regardless of their roles. That’s why manufacturing organizations around the world rely on Poppulo’s digital signage platform and secure, purpose-built media players from BrightSign® to deliver reliable, real-time information across their facilities. However, starting a new digital signage initiative or optimizing an existing network involves careful planning. In addition to defining integration requirements, you must determine the number and location of screens, the purpose of each endpoint, and the content each zone should display. Mapping out the zones in your facility that require digital signage—and identifying the audience and use case for each—can help define your digital signage footprint and uncover gaps in your current network. The templates included in this guide provide recommendations for endpoint planning across different facility zones, helping you align screen placement with operational goals and communications needs.