Introducing: Cultural Badges & Certification

In partnership with

Welcome back to Fire Starters. We know January 2 is one of the most depressing days of the year - so we’ll keep this brief.

We wanted to take a moment to recognize something that’s already been happening inside the Nichefire and cultural intelligence community.

Over time, a group of power users has emerged,

people who don’t just use the platform, but use it well. People who consistently spot cultural signal early, apply it thoughtfully, and help move real decisions forward. To recognize that, we’re introducing three new Cultural Intelligence badges, awarded based on how users engage with and apply Nichefire in the real world.

This comes at a moment when cultural foresight is rapidly becoming a critical business driver. More companies are realizing that understanding culture early isn’t a “nice to have” — it’s a competitive advantage. These badges are our way of pushing those cultural leaders into the spotlight, giving them public recognition they can share across LinkedIn and beyond.

The Biggest News: We’re Launching a Certification In 2026

And this isn’t just for Nichefire users. Anyone can earn these same certifications. Our upcoming 15-part Cultural Intelligence Engineer program is designed to help professionals build this skill set no matter where they work. It includes practical training on using Nichefire, alongside platform-agnostic culture courses grounded in anthropologist-reviewed research — so the thinking travels with you, not just the tool.

More details below — including what each badge represents and how they’re awarded.

🟠 Cultural Listener “Sees culture before it’s labeled.”

This badge recognizes users who consistently demonstrate the ability to observe culture without over-interpreting it. Cultural Listeners know how to separate signal from noise, avoid trend-chasing, and describe cultural behavior in plain, accurate terms before it becomes a headline or a deck. They don’t rush to conclusions. They notice what others scroll past.

🔵 Cultural Intelligence Engineer “Turns cultural signal into decisions.”

This badge is awarded to users who can translate cultural insight into action. Cultural Intelligence Engineers understand when to act, when not to, and how cultural timing, risk, and organizational constraints shape outcomes. They don’t just spot shifts — they engineer responses that teams and leaders can actually execute. Insight is only valuable once it moves a decision. This badge signals that ability.

🔥 Cultural Foresight Lead “Builds systems that keep organizations ahead.”

This badge recognizes users who operate at a strategic level of cultural intelligence. Cultural Foresight Leads don’t rely on one-off insights — they design repeatable cultural engines that help organizations anticipate change, align leadership, and act with confidence over time. They shape how culture is discussed, understood, and used at the highest levels of decision-making.

More details on the certification are coming, but if you are interested, reach out to us. If you know someone you think should get certified, forward them this email!

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Until the course launches, here are 3 cultural movements we think should be on your radar in the year ahead. Each movement offers a resource you can download and share in your organization.

The ethnic food market is experiencing $2.4B in growth, but here’s the kicker: slapping an “ethnic” label on westernized products won’t cut it. Today’s consumers are decoding identity through flavor—seeking authenticity, cultural pride, and story-driven food rituals. The diaspora flavors focus on 3 key “flavor territories”:

• Filipino festival foods (seasonal, cyclical spikes during cultural celebrations)

• Korean-inspired heat profiles (sustained, mainstream adoption)

• Caribbean-Asian fusion (emerging white space for innovation

⬇️ Korean tteokbokki, a street-food staple often shared among friends at bustling stalls, embodies the sustained mainstream pull of diaspora flavors—its unapologetic heat and social ritual proving how authenticity and cultural storytelling resonate far deeper than a generic “spicy” label.

Brand Play: Don’t just appropriate—collaborate.

• Activate cultural storytelling. Partner with diaspora food creators on TikTok.

• Measure what matters. Track engagement through user-generated content campaigns.

👉 Download the full report on Diaspora flavors for deep dives into authenticity, fusion guardrails, and activation strategies. Get access to the complete report for free →

2. Newstalgia: Turning Back the Clock

Anyone telling you “all young people are buried in their phones” may not have an accurate pulse on culture.

Many Gen Zers would flip the script and say older generations are the ones glued to screens. In reality, younger consumers are chasing retro experiences that slow down time—analog cameras, dumb phones, vintage fashion, even communal theater events like the near-billion-dollar Minecraft Movie that reactivated childhood memories.

This is Newstalgia: reimagining the past with modern tools, remixing vinyl with TikTok aesthetics, and creating “phygital” (physical + digital) spaces that comfort and connect.

👉 Download the full culture deck from Nichefire to explore drivers, impacted audiences, and action steps for the “New-stalgia” shift.

Khalil’s Story: A Wake-Up Call to a Cultural Shift

4. Macro-Friendly Treats: Small but Mighty

⬆️ Watch the FireStarters Live webinar for full insights and tactical playbooks.

Cultural chatter around GLP-1s, high-protein, and high-fiber snacks is heating up.

While there are plenty of misconceptions about GLP-1 drugs, one of the biggest is the idea that users simply stop eating or that they just eat less of the same things; in reality, the shift is toward eating differently, not disappearing food altogether.

Consumers aren’t quitting food—they’re demanding smaller, macro-dense portions that fit new health realities.

Three clusters stand out:

1. Macro-friendly vegan treats – Plant-based + macro goals converge. Vegan mousses and oat-milk foams are winning praise for taste and texture.

2. High-protein snacks – Innovation around bars and cookies is exploding. The sweet spot? ~17g protein—culturally reported as tastier and moister than 15g or 20g.

3. Cultural chatter – Access, cost, and “food noise” dominate the conversation, pointing to long-term demand shifts.

Forecast: High consumer interest now, rising well into next summer.

Brand Takeaways:

• Build smaller, satisfying portions packed with protein and fiber.

• Explore plant-based, macro-forward formats (vegan ice creams, mousses, bites).

• Optimize for texture and aftertaste (watch the 17g protein insight).

• Use community comments as raw material for R&D and positioning.

Final Thought before you start the rest of 2026: Culture moves fast, but it leaves signals that can be used to drive business outcomes. Our Cultural Intelligence Engineer Certifcations aims to teach a new generation of users how to harness the power of culture.

More details on the certification are coming, but if you are interested. Reach out to us. If you know someone you think should get certified, forward them this email.

Want to learn more in the meantime? Browse the full range of Nichefire resources in the link below, or follow one of our founders on LinkedIn:

Nichefire Resource Library →

Nichefire Culture Decks →

Follow Khalil El-Amin →

Follow Michael Howard →