BuzzFeed is winning over brands with sponsored-content deals and the promise of viral buzz. Quirky galleries and lists run on BuzzFeed's site with subtle color-coding to mark them as sponsored content, and brands benefit from the extra attention as the branded stories are shared on Facebook and Twitter. "We want to own the water coolers. And BuzzFeed is probably the biggest water cooler that exists right now," says Virgin Mobile brand-marketing chief Ron Faris.