Simpatico

Licensing / co-brand · Los Angeles Dodgers → target #5 of 8

Vans

Accessible, authentic lifestyle brand for action sports and casual streetwear enthusiasts.

Founded 1966 · Parent: VF Corporation · Competes with Converse, DC Shoes, Nike SB, Globe · Partnerships: Supreme, Thrasher, Disney

Corporate details are Qloo entity data.

Watch
64.2F / 100
95% of the weighted evidence measured

Why this verdict

F 64.2 is between 62 and 67, no red flags.

Scores, flags and verdicts are computed in code. The agents can only argue with the ledger; they never set the score.

Six audience metrics

Bar = this target; tick = shortlist average.

m1 Two-way audience affinity
0.76
Harmonic mean of the buyer audience’s affinity for the target and the target audience’s affinity for the buyer’s brands.
m2 Taste-profile overlap
0.19
Rank-weighted overlap of the two audiences’ top-50 cultural taste tags.
m3 Cross-domain agreement
0.81
How strongly the target’s audience embraces the buyer audience’s favourite artists, shows, films and podcasts.
m4 Demographic alignment
0.55
Similarity of the two audiences’ age and gender over-index profiles.
m5 Geographic footprint
0.53
Correlation of metro-level audience affinity, relative to the screened cohort.
m6 Momentum not measured
n/a
Trending rank change over the last 4 weeks vs the 8 before, relative to the cohort.
Qloo has no trending history for the 12 weeks to 2026-10-24.

How F is built

Points each metric adds (weights for Licensing / co-brand, renormalised over what Qloo could measure).

MetricWeightPoints
Two-way audience affinity0.3528.1
Taste-profile overlap0.102.0
Cross-domain agreement0.2017.1
Demographic alignment0.105.8
Geographic footprint0.2011.2
Momentumnot measured–
F64.2

Qloo explainability: the buyer-side signals driving the forward affinity are Los Angeles Dodgers (1.00).

Where the audiences meet, across culture

The buyer audience’s top titles in each domain, ranked by how strongly Vans’s audience embraces them.

Music0.78
Embraced: ScHoolboy Q, The Notorious B.I.G., YG · Least shared: Swishahouse, Berner, UGK
TV0.89
Embraced: Workaholics, Trailer Park Boys, Reno 911! · Least shared: Arrested Development, Running Wilde, A.P. Bio
Film0.79
Embraced: Coach Carter, More Than a Game, Rebound: The Legend of Earl 'The Goat' Manigault · Least shared: Draft Day, 42, Major League II
Podcasts0.81
Embraced: Ten Minute Podcast, Monday Morning Podcast, TigerBelly · Least shared: Anything Better?, The YoYoYo Podcast w/Martin & Hooter, Enchilada Casserole

Taste profile overlap

17 of 83 top taste tags shared.

Both over-index on
Hip Hopfriendshiprockfriendrapfemale protagonistelectronicteenage boy
Buyer only

American, Tortillas, mexican american, los angeles california, african american

Vans only

Romance, Salmon A La Plancha, love, chinese drama, based on novel

Audience shape

Los Angeles Dodgers (buyer) Vans
-0.70-0.350.00+0.35+0.70≤2425–2930–3435–4445–5455+MenWomen

Relative over-index (+) or under-index (−) of each aggregate audience, from Qloo. Not individual data.

Momentum

Qloo has no trending history for the 12 weeks to 2026-10-24.

Footprint overlap for distribution

White space: Vans strong, buyer weak Shared stronghold Other metros
White space

Minneapolis, Louisville, Columbus, Cincinnati, Raleigh, St. Louis

Shared strongholds

Boise, Anchorage, Tucson, Albuquerque, Oklahoma City

Bull vs bear

10 of 10 claims survived the judge; 0 rejected for citing numbers not in the ledger or misreading them.

Bull: for the deal

  • Demographic alignment is above the shortlist average on both the composite value and the cosine. Both audiences over-index in the 24-and-younger bucket.

    t7-m4.value = 0.5478t7-m4.cosine = 0.09561t7-m4.buyer.24_and_younger = 0.36t7-m4.target.24_and_younger = 0.51

  • TV taste agreement is above the shortlist average. The two audiences share high aggregate affinity for comedies such as Workaholics.

    t7-m3.domains[1].score = 0.8886

  • Podcasts show above-average cross-domain agreement. Shared aggregate affinities include Ten Minute Podcast.

    t7-m3.domains[3].score = 0.807

  • Affinity between the two audiences is perfectly balanced: the forward and reverse affinities are equal, giving a ratio of 1. This matches the shortlist average, so neither side's audience is lopsided in the aggregate.

    t7-m1.ratio = 1

  • Geographic footprint is a relative strength: the aggregate footprint score sits above the shortlist average, and the buyer and target metro affinities correlate positively where the shortlist average is negative.

    t7-m5.value = 0.5299t7-m5.correlation = 0.05987

Bear: against, or diligence first

  • Momentum cannot be assessed: Qloo has no trending history for the window, so the m6 contribution is 0 and the committee should run its own trend diligence before committing.

    t7-m6.coverage = 0t7-score.points.m6 = 0

  • The composite score of 64.15 sits slightly below the shortlist average of 64.75, so on aggregate this deal does not stand out against the alternatives.

    t7-score.F = 64.15

  • Cross-domain agreement of 0.8142 trails the shortlist average of 0.8442, driven by music at 0.7757 versus 0.8795 on average, a notable gap for a streetwear co-brand where music culture matters.

    t7-m3.value = 0.8142t7-m3.domains[0].score = 0.7757

  • Aggregate two-way audience affinity between Dodgers and Vans is 0.7623, below the shortlist average of 0.8058, so this pairing's core audience link is weaker than the alternatives under consideration.

    t7-m1.value = 0.7623

  • Taste-profile overlap is thin: only 0.1905 versus a shortlist average of 0.2621, with 17 shared tags out of 83, and 0.6 of the Dodgers' top-20 taste tags are missing from Vans' profile (worse than the 0.475 average). Buyer-only tags like Los Angeles and Mexican-American identity markers do not carry over.

    t7-m2.value = 0.1905t7-m2.sharedCount = 17t7-m2.buyerTop20MissingShare = 0.6

IC memo

Blocked from export: 1 number(s) not in the ledger (highlighted).Written by claude-opus-5-5 (after one repair pass)

Vans: WATCH

Recommendation Vans ranks 5 of 8 with a composite F of 64.2, slightly below the shortlist average. Verdict rule: F 64.2 is between 62 and 67, with no red flags, so the verdict is WATCH. The audience fit has clear pockets of strength, but it does not stand out against the alternatives.

Where the audiences meet

  • TV: Agreement is above the shortlist average. Both audiences over-index on comedies such as Workaholics, Trailer Park Boys and Reno 911!.
  • Podcasts: Agreement is also above average. Shared aggregate affinities include Ten Minute Podcast and Monday Morning Podcast.
  • Demographics: Alignment is above the shortlist average on both the composite value and the cosine. Both audiences over-index in the 24-and-younger bucket.
  • Geography: The footprint score is above average. Buyer and target metro affinities correlate positively, while the shortlist average is negative. Strongholds include Tucson and Albuquerque.
  • Balance: Two-way affinity is balanced, with a ratio of 1, so neither audience is lopsided in the aggregate.

Risks

  • Core link: Two-way audience affinity is 0.76, below the shortlist average of 0.81.
  • Music: Cross-domain agreement of 0.81 trails the 0.84 average. Music drives the gap, at 0.78 versus 0.88. That gap matters for a streetwear co-brand.
  • Taste overlap: Overlap is thin at 0.19 versus 0.26, with 17 shared tags out of 83. In addition, 60% of the Dodgers' top-20 tags are missing from Vans' profile, against a 0.475 average. Los Angeles and Mexican-American identity markers do not carry over.
  • Momentum: Momentum cannot be assessed. Qloo has no trending history for the window ending 2026-10-24, so it contributes nothing to the score.

Diligence questions

  • What does our own trend data show for Vans, given that Qloo has no momentum data?
  • Could a co-branded pilot address the music gap, for example through LA hip-hop artists with shared aggregate affinity such as YG or ScHoolboy Q?
  • Can the design brief restore the Los Angeles and Mexican-American identity cues that are absent from Vans' aggregate profile?
  • Does the weaker two-way affinity justify WATCH over higher-ranked alternatives on the shortlist?
  • How do existing Vans partnerships, such as Supreme and Thrasher, affect exclusivity and positioning?

Aggregate audience affinities from Qloo, not predictions about individuals. Not investment advice.

Provenance: 26 Qloo calls behind this target

Requests as sent (the API key travels in a header and is never logged). Responses are cached privately on the server.

PurposeEndpointStatusResultSource
/v2/insightsok25 of 25 candidates scoredcache
/v2/insightsok25 profile(s)cache
/v2/insightsok25 recommended podcast(s)cache
/v2/insightsok50 taste tag(s)cache
/v2/insightsok25 recommended tv_show(s)cache
/v2/insightsokdemographics for 9 of 9 entitiescache
/v2/insightsok25 recommended artist(s)cache
/v2/insightsok25 recommended movie(s)cache
/v2/insightsok7800 heatmap cell(s) in United Statescache
/v2/trendingempty0 trend point(s)cache
/v2/trendingempty0 trend point(s)cache
/v2/trendingempty0 trend point(s)cache
/v2/trendingempty0 trend point(s)cache
/v2/trendingempty0 trend point(s)cache
/v2/trendingempty0 trend point(s)cache
/v2/trendingempty0 trend point(s)cache
/v2/trendingempty0 trend point(s)cache
/v2/trendingempty0 trend point(s)cache
/v2/insightsok50 taste tag(s)cache
/v2/insightsok1 of 1 candidates scoredcache
/v2/insightsok25 of 25 candidates scoredcache
/v2/insightsok25 of 25 candidates scoredcache
/v2/insightsok25 of 25 candidates scoredcache
/v2/insightsok25 of 25 candidates scoredcache
/v2/analysis/compareok0 shared catalogue tag(s)cache
/v2/insightsok10712 heatmap cell(s) in United Statescache
Evidence rows (what bull, bear and the judge see)
[
 {
  "id": "t7-flags",
  "label": "Red flags (code rules)",
  "data": {
   "flags": []
  },
  "shortlistAverages": {}
 },
 {
  "id": "t7-m1",
  "label": "m1 Two-way audience affinity",
  "data": {
   "a": 0.762283886518628,
   "b": 0.762283886518628,
   "ratio": 1,
   "value": 0.762283886518628,
   "reverse": [
    {
     "id": "9B8B279C-B777-4293-8121-B8174970B57D",
     "name": "Los Angeles Dodgers",
     "affinity": 0.762283886518628
    }
   ],
   "coverage": 1
  },
  "shortlistAverages": {
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   "b": 0.8058428397073507,
   "ratio": 1,
   "value": 0.8058428397073506
  }
 },
 {
  "id": "t7-m2",
  "label": "m2 Taste-profile overlap",
  "data": {
   "value": 0.19047619047619047,
   "shared": [
    {
     "id": "urn:tag:genre:music:hip_hop",
     "name": "Hip Hop",
     "subtype": "urn:tag:genre:music"
    },
    {
     "id": "urn:tag:keyword:media:friendship",
     "name": "friendship",
     "subtype": "urn:tag:keyword:media"
    },
    {
     "id": "urn:tag:genre:music:rock",
     "name": "rock",
     "subtype": "urn:tag:genre:music"
    },
    {
     "id": "urn:tag:keyword:media:friend",
     "name": "friend",
     "subtype": "urn:tag:keyword:media"
    },
    {
     "id": "urn:tag:genre:music:rap",
     "name": "rap",
     "subtype": "urn:tag:genre:music"
    },
    {
     "id": "urn:tag:keyword:media:female_protagonist",
     "name": "female protagonist",
     "subtype": "urn:tag:keyword:media"
    },
    {
     "id": "urn:tag:genre:music:electronic",
     "name": "electronic",
     "subtype": "urn:tag:genre:music"
    },
    {
     "id": "urn:tag:keyword:media:teenage_boy",
     "name": "teenage boy",
     "subtype": "urn:tag:keyword:media"
    }
   ],
   "coverage": 1,
   "buyerOnly": [
    {
     "id": "urn:tag:genre:place:restaurant:american",
     "name": "American",
     "subtype": "urn:tag:genre:place"
    },
    {
     "id": "urn:tag:specialty_dish:place:tortillas",
     "name": "Tortillas",
     "subtype": "urn:tag:specialty_dish:place"
    },
    {
     "id": "urn:tag:keyword:media:mexican_american",
     "name": "mexican american",
     "subtype": "urn:tag:keyword:media"
    },
    {
     "id": "urn:tag:keyword:media:los_angeles_california",
     "name": "los angeles california",
     "subtype": "urn:tag:keyword:media"
    },
    {
     "id": "urn:tag:keyword:media:african_american",
     "name": "african american",
     "subtype": "urn:tag:keyword:media"
    }
   ],
   "targetOnly": [
    {
     "id": "urn:tag:genre:media:romance",
     "name": "Romance",
     "subtype": "urn:tag:genre:media"
    },
    {
     "id": "urn:tag:specialty_dish:place:salmon_a_la_plancha",
     "name": "Salmon A La Plancha",
     "subtype": "urn:tag:specialty_dish:place"
    },
    {
     "id": "urn:tag:keyword:media:love",
     "name": "love",
     "subtype": "urn:tag:keyword:media"
    },
    {
     "id": "urn:tag:keyword:media:chinese_drama",
     "name": "chinese drama",
     "subtype": "urn:tag:keyword:media"
    },
    {
     "id": "urn:tag:keyword:media:based_on_novel",
     "name": "based on novel",
     "subtype": "urn:tag:keyword:media"
    }
   ],
   "unionCount": 83,
   "sharedCount": 17,
   "buyerTop20MissingShare": 0.6
  },
  "shortlistAverages": {
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   "sharedCount": 21.75,
   "buyerTop20MissingShare": 0.475
  }
 },
 {
  "id": "t7-m3",
  "label": "m3 Cross-domain agreement",
  "data": {
   "value": 0.814169380463704,
   "domains": [
    {
     "type": "urn:entity:artist",
     "clash": [
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       "name": "Swishahouse",
       "affinity": 0.7292849679994088
      },
      {
       "name": "Berner",
       "affinity": 0.7326985469507507
      },
      {
       "name": "UGK",
       "affinity": 0.7444582461343473
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     ],
     "label": "Music",
     "score": 0.7756705645045048,
     "shared": [
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       "name": "ScHoolboy Q",
       "affinity": 0.8127676444431978
      },
      {
       "name": "The Notorious B.I.G.",
       "affinity": 0.8102011535874057
      },
      {
       "name": "YG",
       "affinity": 0.8018057939003043
      }
     ],
     "expected": 25,
     "returned": 25
    },
    {
     "type": "urn:entity:tv_show",
     "clash": [
      {
       "name": "Arrested Development",
       "affinity": 0.8653533139651076
      },
      {
       "name": "Running Wilde",
       "affinity": 0.8682916383624476
      },
      {
       "name": "A.P. Bio",
       "affinity": 0.8687919451852124
      }
     ],
     "label": "TV",
     "score": 0.8885785884142714,
     "shared": [
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       "affinity": 0.9268191079633412
      },
      {
       "name": "Trailer Park Boys",
       "affinity": 0.9254621104076115
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      {
       "name": "Reno 911!",
       "affinity": 0.9156999123020249
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     ],
     "expected": 25,
     "returned": 25
    },
    {
     "type": "urn:entity:movie",
     "clash": [
      {
       "name": "Draft Day",
       "affinity": 0.7454537925105871
      },
      {
       "name": "42",
       "affinity": 0.7543571955286209
      },
      {
       "name": "Major League II",
       "affinity": 0.7596427809320286
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     ],
     "label": "Film",
     "score": 0.7854206208746234,
     "shared": [
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       "name": "Coach Carter",
       "affinity": 0.8287298270017064
      },
      {
       "name": "More Than a Game",
       "affinity": 0.8149607491935776
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      {
       "name": "Rebound: The Legend of Earl 'The Goat' Manigault",
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     ],
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    },
    {
     "type": "urn:entity:podcast",
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      {
       "name": "The YoYoYo Podcast w/Martin & Hooter",
       "affinity": 0.7583312332262229
      },
      {
       "name": "Enchilada Casserole",
       "affinity": 0.7653806281816017
      }
     ],
     "label": "Podcasts",
     "score": 0.8070077480614165,
     "shared": [
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       "affinity": 0.8586160249063901
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      {
       "name": "Monday Morning Podcast",
       "affinity": 0.8510299832479916
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      {
       "name": "TigerBelly",
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     ],
     "expected": 25,
     "returned": 25
    }
   ],
   "coverage": 1
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  "shortlistAverages": {
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   "domains[1].score": 0.8836269856142132,
   "domains[2].score": 0.8086589764417401,
   "domains[3].score": 0.804967040700262
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 },
 {
  "id": "t7-m4",
  "label": "m4 Demographic alignment",
  "data": {
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    "female": -0.21,
    "25_to_29": -0.1,
    "30_to_34": -0.7000000000000001,
    "35_to_44": -0.53,
    "45_to_54": 0.22,
    "55_and_older": 0.33,
    "24_and_younger": 0.36
   },
   "value": 0.5478065748854846,
   "cosine": 0.09561314977096919,
   "target": {
    "male": 0.03,
    "female": -0.03,
    "25_to_29": 0.1,
    "30_to_34": 0.15,
    "35_to_44": -0.64,
    "45_to_54": -0.45,
    "55_and_older": -0.62,
    "24_and_younger": 0.51
   },
   "coverage": 1,
   "biggestGap": {
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    "bucket": "55_and_older",
    "target": -0.62
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  },
  "shortlistAverages": {
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   "cosine": 0.02581819237381071
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 },
 {
  "id": "t7-m5",
  "label": "m5 Geographic footprint",
  "data": {
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   "coverage": 1,
   "metroCount": 55,
   "whiteSpace": [
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     "lon": -93.265,
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     "metro": "Minneapolis",
     "target": 0.9875444425124503,
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     "targetRel": 0.1237683735080316
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    {
     "lat": 38.2527,
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     "targetRel": 0.12074899981884657
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    {
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    {
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     "targetRel": 0.10119948128179834
    },
    {
     "lat": 35.7796,
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     "metro": "Raleigh",
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     "targetRel": 0.10017816843001837
    },
    {
     "lat": 38.627,
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     "metro": "St. Louis",
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     "targetRel": 0.09954731398224514
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   ],
   "correlation": 0.05987267490178549,
   "strongholds": [
    {
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     "lon": -116.2023,
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     "metro": "Boise",
     "target": 0.9682200595614554,
     "buyerRel": 0.08757333791546484,
     "targetRel": 0.14695743714948972
    },
    {
     "lat": 61.2181,
     "lon": -149.9003,
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     "metro": "Anchorage",
     "target": 0.9657211056995523,
     "buyerRel": 0.047812276744295,
     "targetRel": 0.1635751604209822
    },
    {
     "lat": 32.2226,
     "lon": -110.9747,
     "buyer": 0.9663896768709499,
     "metro": "Tucson",
     "target": 0.9851832804779406,
     "buyerRel": 0.09608621357675451,
     "targetRel": 0.11487981718374518
    },
    {
     "lat": 35.0844,
     "lon": -106.6504,
     "buyer": 0.9706899894380029,
     "metro": "Albuquerque",
     "target": 0.9882015531078187,
     "buyerRel": 0.09551623700885659,
     "targetRel": 0.11302780067867235
    },
    {
     "lat": 35.4676,
     "lon": -97.5164,
     "buyer": 0.9157176737693803,
     "metro": "Oklahoma City",
     "target": 0.9861224003291553,
     "buyerRel": 0.032889662529978936,
     "targetRel": 0.10329438908975397
    }
   ],
   "whiteSpaceCount": 6,
   "relativeToCohort": true
  },
  "shortlistAverages": {
   "value": 0.43391156033354505,
   "correlation": -0.13217687933290995
  }
 },
 {
  "id": "t7-m6",
  "label": "m6 Momentum",
  "data": {
   "z": null,
   "note": "Qloo has no trending history for the 12 weeks to 2026-10-24.",
   "value": null,
   "priorSd": null,
   "coverage": 0,
   "priorMean": null,
   "normalised": false,
   "recentMean": null
  },
  "shortlistAverages": {}
 },
 {
  "id": "t7-profile",
  "label": "Qloo entity profile: Vans",
  "data": {
   "name": "Vans",
   "drivers": [
    {
     "name": "Los Angeles Dodgers",
     "score": 1
    }
   ],
   "ownership": "part_of_other",
   "keyMarkets": [
    "United States",
    "United Kingdom",
    "Canada",
    "Germany",
    "Japan"
   ],
   "popularity": 0.9996779169703853,
   "screenRank": 7,
   "foundedYear": 1966,
   "priceRangeUsd": [
    50,
    120
   ],
   "ultimateParent": "VF Corporation",
   "forwardAffinity": 0.762283886518628,
   "competitorBrands": [
    "Converse",
    "DC Shoes",
    "Nike SB",
    "Globe",
    "Emerica"
   ],
   "sharedCategories": [],
   "knownPartnerships": [
    "Supreme",
    "Thrasher",
    "Disney",
    "National Geographic",
    "Karl Lagerfeld"
   ],
   "marketPositioning": "Accessible, authentic lifestyle brand for action sports and casual streetwear enthusiasts."
  },
  "shortlistAverages": {}
 },
 {
  "id": "t7-score",
  "label": "Composite score",
  "data": {
   "F": 64.15250320006385,
   "points": {
    "m1": 28.0841431875284,
    "m2": 2.0050125313283207,
    "m3": 17.14040800976219,
    "m4": 5.766384998794575,
    "m5": 11.156554472650374,
    "m6": 0
   },
   "coverage": 0.95
  },
  "shortlistAverages": {
   "F": 64.75407958362149,
   "coverage": 0.9500000000000001
  }
 }
]