As part of a company-wide rebrand, SSP America identified a major gap in how it communicated with frontline employees across its airport restaurant network. Important updates were still being shared through printed PDFs taped to breakroom walls, creating inconsistent communication, low engagement, and limited visibility for the HR team.

To modernize the employee experience, SSP America partnered with 16x9 to create People News, a scalable internal communications platform designed to make HR updates more engaging, accessible, and employee-focused. People News was created to be an approachable way to deliver on the business information that happens at SSP America and Canada. The People News monthly newsletter was developed to be simple, modular, and flexible enough to grow depending on the information of a given month. In combination with the People Team Functions and their respective icons, it expands on
SSP America’s unique Employee Value Proposition look & feel.

As Associate Creative Director at 16x9, I led the project from strategy through execution. I developed the communication workflow, built the Canva + Constant Contact production system, and created a fully modular email framework that allowed the internal team to scale and manage communications more efficiently over time.

I also developed the “People Team” brand identity for HR, named the People News initiative, and designed five branded People Team Functions focused on onboarding, growth, wellbeing, performance, and culture. In addition to creative direction, I managed monthly production, built and deployed emails, sourced visuals, and developed training documentation to support long-term adoption internally.

The Challenge

Building Better Connections With Frontline Staff

SSP America employs thousands of frontline workers across more than 60 airports, but at the time, there was no centralized employee communication system in place. Most updates were distributed through printed notices or relayed verbally by managers, leading to inconsistent messaging and missed information.

At the same time, the HR division was undergoing a rebrand focused on becoming more modern, visible, and people-first. The challenge was to create a scalable communication system that could improve engagement, simplify distribution, and make employees feel more connected to the company.

The Insight

Frontline Employees Needed a Better Experience

Frontline restaurant employees work in fast-paced environments where traditional corporate communications are easy to ignore. We recognized that engagement would only improve if communications felt approachable, timely, and personally relevant.

Rather than positioning HR as purely administrative, we reframed it as the “People Team” — a more human, employee-focused brand centered around growth, wellbeing, support, and belonging. This shift transformed internal communications from static announcements into a more engaging employee experience.

To support long-term adoption, I developed a modular email ecosystem built entirely in Canva and integrated into Constant Contact. The system included nine scalable templates across employee-focused, culture-focused, and seasonal communications, each designed in short, medium, and long-form formats.

I also created five distinct People Team Function identities, each with its own colour palette and iconography to help employees quickly recognize different categories of information. The templates were intentionally built for non-designers, allowing the internal HR and marketing teams to update content quickly while maintaining a polished and consistent brand experience.

The Execution

Bringing the Employee Experience to Life

Each monthly People News issue combined operational updates with more human-centered storytelling. Communications included employee spotlights, work anniversaries, benefits reminders, seasonal initiatives, wellness campaigns, holiday features, and corporate announcements. QR codes and linked call-to-actions improved accessibility and encouraged employees to engage directly with forms, resources, and internal programs.

The modular structure allowed SSP America to tailor each issue dynamically while maintaining a cohesive visual identity. By combining approachable editorial design with scalable systems thinking, the newsletters became both an engagement tool and a repeatable operational framework. To ensure long-term sustainability, I also developed training presentations, implementation guides, and process documentation that enabled SSP America’s internal teams to gradually assume ownership of the system after launch.

The Results

Operational Impact Beyond the Inbox

People News quickly became one of SSP America’s most successful internal communication initiatives. The first newsletter achieved a 78% open rate and a 6.9% click-through rate across 740 recipients, with engagement stabilizing well above industry averages throughout the first year. The initiative not only improved communication efficiency, but also helped position SSP America as a more connected and employee-focused organization.

48.6% increase in opted-in employee contact list growth within the first year

Increased employee engagement with HR resources, benefits enrollment, and corporate initiatives

Established SSP America’s first centralized and scalable employee email communications process

Reinforced SSP America’s positioning as a people-first organization committed to employee experience

Generated additional ongoing retainer revenue and contributed to future contract renewals for 16x9

Created a long-term communications framework that continues to be actively used by SSP America today

To comply with non-disclosure agreements, I have omitted and obfuscated confidential information in this case study.
All information in this case study is my own and does not necessarily reflect the views of SSP America or 16x9 Agency.