This Is Officially the Most Valuable Brand in the World

Quick: Think of the biggest, buzziest companies in the world. What comes to mind? Surely, tech giants like Google, Apple, and Facebook are at the top of everyone's list—and rightly so. But as it turns out, only one company is officially the world's most valuable: Amazon. 

WWD reported on a new study conducted by Brand Finance, an independent business valuation and strategy consultancy, which just released its annual list of the 500 most valuable brands in the world. The retail powerhouse scored the number one spot, beating out Apple and Google in the second and third spots, respectively. Per the report, Amazon's valuation is $150.8 billion, which marks a whopping 42% leap from last year. Now that's impressive. 

So what does "brand value" mean, exactly? Researchers explained to WWD: "Brand Finance calculates brand value using the royalty relief methodology, which determines the value a company would be willing to pay to license its brand as if it did not own it." 

Meanwhile, Nike nabbed spot 40 spot on the list, while Zara's $17.4 billion valuation placed it at 92 overall. Head over to WWD for the full scoop, and read on to shop our favorite thing to buy on Amazon: sneakers. 

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