Recent consumer trends may well be explained by a simple, though powerful, motivation: to avoid or minimize stress.

“Stress Free” has become ubiquitous in marketing campaigns, as more and more companies prefix the term to their brands. But make no mistake: this is a sophisticated concept that drives strategy and governs how some of the most successful companies envision their mission.

It is therefore useful for brands to understand the stress-free megatrend, and we introduce The Stress-Free Principle to capture both consumers’ motivations and companies’ myriad strategies of addressing it. The Principle provides an effective framework to understand recent developments in many industries — from food and beverages, cosmetics and personal care to technology, financial services, travel and tourism — and it should guide your innovation.