Rebuilding Brand Awareness during Early-Stage B2B Rebranding: A Case Study of Formexa in the Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Sector

Abstract : In business-to-business manufacturing, brand awareness plays a vital role in supporting long-term relationship and strategic positioning. This Study investigates how brand communication strategy influences client brand awareness during the early stage if a rebranding process. The case focuses on Formexa, a precision manufacturing company in Indonesia that rebranded from its former identity, Altro, in mid-2024. Despite internal alignment on the new brand direction, external findings revealed a decline in retained clients and weak awareness among long-standing clients in the pharmaceutical sector. Using a qualitative single case study design, data were collected through semi-structured interviews with internal stakeholders and clients from pharmaceutical firms such as PT PHMR, PT OTP, and PT IFN. Thematic analysis revealed that communication during the transition lacked consistency, failed to engage client in the early stage of the buyer journey, and relied heavily on informal channels such as exhibitions or verbal updates by sales teams. These gaps led to limited brand recognition and minimal brand recall, particularly among key retained clients. The study concludes that structured and consistent communication, delivered across multiple touchpoints, is essential to rebuild awareness and retain brand trust in post-rebranding B2B environments. Thus, research contributes to the B2B branding literature by highlighting how communication strategy acts as a key determinant of awareness during identity transformation in manufacturing firm.