Company Popularity?

Sorry if this is a nooby post but I was just curious as to how the popularity bar works. I had assumed it measures how popular your company is out of all the other companies in your same field but I'm not sure if this is the case.
How can a 1star company have a high popularity yet make less than a 5star company with lower popularity? or is this possible?
Is the popularity bar limited to the ratings of a company, so popularity of a 1star company is measured against the popularity of other 1star companies?
It's been 6days since I started my TV Network and my popularity has been rising by an average of 4% per day

It is how much income you make in comparison to the highest earning company of your type (across all stars).

oh ok makes sense, thanks.

I am a beginner and working at Bath Bed Beyond Funiture Store, a 3* company. I love my company and I want to know how I can help to improve company's popularity. Thank much.

Log in every day and stay off drugs, do education as fast as possible to raise your stats

Obviously a couple of ways to help profits etc, are competitive prices and advertising, as the key is selling more than other companies. If your popularity continues to rise, then you're already on the right tracks.