BUY.COM Signs with Black Rocket

Online retailer BUY.com Inc. named San Francisco-based advertising agency Black Rocket as its global branding partner, without a formal review.

BUY.com had been handling its advertising in-house. Billings were not disclosed.

“It was a pretty simple decision,” said Scott Blum, BUY.com’s founder. “We like their work, there was synergy between the two companies, and they see potential in our brand.”

A relatively new agency, Black Rocket clients have included Yahoo and Discover Brokerage, a Morgan Stanley/Dean Witter Co.

“We’re excited about working with the marketing group at BUY.com,” said Steve Stone, a partner at Black Rocket. “They understand the need to do distinctive work, and we are impressed with the company’s long-term business model.”

Founded in October 1996, privately held Aliso Viejo, CA-based BUY.com offers consumers a range of computing and entertainment products from industry leaders Ingram Micro and Ingram Entertainment. Its www.buy.com superstore serves as a portal to six specialty stores that offer popular consumer goods, including: BUYCOMP.com, BUYSOFT.com, BUYBOOKS.com, BUYVIDEOS.com, BUYMUSIC.com and BUYGAMES.com.