I don't necessarily find opening their brand to other guys a bad move as it opens some market, but I hope they don't get 20 surfers. Keep it low, a surfers there, a singer there, maybe some artists there in order to develop the "lifestyle" image of the brand.
Whoever said they should focus on their sole is totally right. The sole is crucial for a company to succeed in skateboarding, most of their shoes look good and the team is perfect, they only need a good vulc and a good cupsole.
Why aren't all brands offering a good herringbone pattern vulc sole like Gravis or Nike is beyond me. Nobody cares about your "traction system" or whatever, and only Vans is able to do a right honeycomb sole.
People don't care about the aesthetic of the sole, they just want it to perform well and resist.
The only people that could care about the aesthetic of the sole are skaters, and they don't give a fuck about it while it performs.