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The Egyptian authorities have continued to block websites, this time targeting the site of a human rights group as well asa columnist's blog.

Over the weekend of August 5, the government blocked the website of the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI), which documents and reports on human rights violations in Egypt and across the Arab region.

In August 6statement published on Facebook, the rights group slammed Egyptian authorities for the measure, while pledging to continue its work in support of human rights in the region:

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information in spite of this attack, which is a mockery of the Egyptian law and constitution by the authorities, who are supposed to respect and uphold the law remains committed to its mission to defending freedom of expression, human rights in the Arab world, exposing the violations in this part of the world, and speaking up for the victims, which is a role that now comes at a very high price more than ever, yet it also became more important than ever before.

[] ANHRI confirms that it will seek all technical means to overcome the blocking and will not give in to it, and insists that it will continue to do its role.

ANHRI is the first website belonging to a human rights group in Egypt to be censored, since authorities blocked21 websites more than two months ago, including the independent news site Mada Masr,the Arabic-language edition of the Huffington Post, and the website of the Qatar-based AlJazeera network, for allegedly supporting terrorism.

In addition to ANHRI, the blog of columnist and human rights researcher Ahmed Gamal Ziada is no longer accessible in Egypt. Ziada has been using his blog to disseminate the columns and articles he writes for websites and media blocked in Egypt. Now the blog he set up to bypass the censorship machinery of the Egyptian government has itself been targeted. The blog-publishing service Blogger, which hosts Ziada's blog, remains accessible.

A former photojournalist, Ziadaspentnearly 500 days in prison after he was arrested in December 2013 by Egyptian security forces while covering a student protest and taking footage of police beating two students.His articles mainly address politics and the human rights situation in Egypt.

On Facebook, hereflected on the government's blocking of his blog and what it means to him:

: 1 . 2 .

* .

The [tactic] of blocking blogs is very old, but it is a precedence in the era of [President] Abdelfattah al-Sisi, and apart from the fact that the blocking of the blog may not be of importance to the world, it does matter to me for two reasons:

1) They have made me feel that Iam indeed under siege; an arrest, an attempted murder, national security summons, blocking [my] blog in addition to every single website I worked for.

2) They have proved that I was not writing for nothing, in other words, my words have an impact even if it is for a small audience.

I want to mention that the blog was an archive for me. I started using it to post articles to bypass censorship. But, now that they have blocked it, and [shown] that they fear [its] words, I can still change the link or create a second blog. The brave continue till the end.

From May 24 to August 6, Egyptian authorities blocked 133 websites, according to the Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression (AFTE), which conducted technical tests on the networks of various Internet Service Providers (ISPs) including Orange, Vodafone and Etisalat. AFTE also documented the blocking of services aimed at bypassing internet censorship and browsing the internet privately,known as Virtual Private Networks (VPNs). The association reported in its research:

On Monday the 12th of June, we noticed the beginning of blocking websites that provide VPN services. Such practice points to the intent of the Government to continue blocking and filtering the content that Egyptian users could access.

What makes the situation worse, is that these blocking decisions are taken behind closed doors and without a due process that gives Egyptians the possibility to challenge them in court. Now the question is how far is the Egyptian government willing to take its internet censorship campaign and who is it going to target next.

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Rights Group Website and Columnist's Blog Become Latest Targets of Egypt's Censorship Campaign - Global Voices Online

One of the most difficult aspects of managing a brand and its digital presence online is knowingwhere to focus first. With dozens of different social apps, interactive commerce andcontent platforms, and tools to choose from, its easy to get overwhelmed by the enormity offinding and connecting with the right audience on the web.

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Read next: The T. Rex probably couldn't run, according to this AI-driven model

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Know how to sell online with this Digital Marketing Masterclass for only $15 - TNW

Koala director Kim Joo-hwan graduates to commercial cinema in fine form with the entertaining youth cop comedy-thriller Midnight Runners. Featuring heartthrobs Park Seo-joon (Chronicles of Evil) and Kang Ha-neul (Dongju: The Portrait of a Poet) in roles that are equal parts cute and heroic, this slick bromance should prove particularly popular with young women at home.

Rambunctious Ki-joon and bookish Hee-yeol, new recruits at the police academy in Seoul, become unlikely friends during their grueling exercises. A few years into their training, the pair head to the clubs in Gangnam but after striking out they witness a young woman being stuffed into a black van. Heeding their instructor's advice, they race against the clock to solve the case during the golden 7-hour period.

From a story and character perspective, Midnight Runners doesn't do anything special in its setup, recycling routine boot camp tropes with a a budding friendship that evolves from childish one-upmanship. Yet in the hands of director Kim, clarity and confidence pervade the style of the film, while even unremarkable moments are elevated through good timing and his strong sense for what makes a joke or emotional beat land in the right way.

When the main plot kicks into gear, after the boot camp first act, the amateur sleuthing by the pair is more earnest than amusing but as they finally hit some action, the film finds its stride again. First it's with a thunderous encore from a training camp gag before the film's action and thriller stakes raise up as we are dragged into a Chinese-Korean organ trafficking gang's territory.

The film's back half is choke-full of brawls and gags, while some darker victim POV inserts keep the narrative from sliding into slapstick mode. The middle of the story takes place late at night as the pair switch from Gangnam club-hoppers to back alleys brawlers in the Daerim-dong Chinatown. Jumping from lead to lead as the tension rises right up until dawn, this mid-section benefits from good pacing until a narrative shift extends the film's timeline.

Past this point we're back in familiar territory, as a montage guides us through a calm-before-the-storm period until we reach a low-key and somewhat contrived but nevertheless satisfying climax. Fight scenes are for the most part effective but might have benefited from more aggressive choreography.

For a film that is bound to rely on a young female audience, one moment that leaves a sour taste is the scene that kicks off the main mystery of the narrative. Our two protagonists have failed to land partners during a night on the town, so when they see a pretty girl walk past them, they decide to follow her through dark streets for several blocks, as they try and figure out who should approach her. Though their intentions may be benign, it is uncomfortable to witness this behavior from police cadets who, mere minutes later, will start on their paths to become the very same girl's knights in shining armor.

Between the leads, it is Park who fares best, but only because it's easier to accept him as this character. No matter how large the spectacles that Kang adorns, his nerdy recruit is a tough sell. That said, while the differences between the two fade away over time, the bond between the leads is strong enough to make the comedy work. Veteran Sung Dong-il (The Accidental Detective) adds a touch of class as a respected police academy instructor.

Director Kim knows his audience and Midnight Runners firmly and successfully caters to a younger generation of Korean viewers. While older spectators may not be bowled over by his commercial debut, his skill for balance and tone could easily could be transposed to different genres in the future.

Read more:
Review: MIDNIGHT RUNNERS Reaches Finish Line with Gags, Brawls and Thrills - ScreenAnarchy (blog)

Estee Lauder (EL) owns a stable of well-known brands in the beauty care space: The eponymous skin care products, Clinique, Aveda, and Bobbi Brown are just a few of the premium brands that the company produces. These strong brand names enable the company to achieve high gross margins (~80%) and return on capital; ROIC has averaged over 20% during the last decade. In comparison, L'Oreal (OTCPK:LRLCY) has earned an average ROIC of less than 15% over the same period.

Estee Lauder has driven growth through innovation, acquisition, and new distribution channels. In 2016, the company reported spending $191 MM on research and obtained ~24% of global sales represented new products. Half of the company's R&D projects in 2016 were completed within a year, enabling the company to adapt rapidly to emerging trends. Recent acquisitions Too Faced and BECCA provided approximately half of the 8% y-o-y revenue growth in the most recent quarter. Estee Lauder revenues have averaged a growth rate of 5% over the last five years.

The company is investing in digital marketing and online sales to capitalize on the growing trend of internet retail. They are using a series of how to videos and tips from influencers in order to build the brand through online marketing. Estee Lauder's efforts have resulted in 2016 online sales that exceeded $1 billion, representing a 27% increase over the prior year.

The company markets products in makeup, skin care, hair care, and fragrances. Business in the Americas represented 42% of sales in 2016, while Asia Pacific represents 19%, and the balance being in Europe/Middle East/Africa. This geographic diversification has enabled the company to grow as more people enter the middle class; however, recent strengthening in the dollar has had a negative impact on revenues.

There are two share classes, with the class B shares having ten votes per share versus one vote per class A share. Class B shares can be converted to class A shares on a one to one basis. This share structure enables the Lauder family to exert significant control over the company without owning a majority of the company's shares. Dual class share structures are often not in favor of the retail investor, but in this case, it enables the family to focus on delivering long-term value to shareholders. Share based compensation led to a 1.7% reduction in diluted EPS relative to reported EPS in 2016.

Overall, Estee Lauder represents a well-run business that is able to command premium prices for their product. The company has a current ratio of 1.74 as of the most recent quarterly report. The shares are currently trading at $99, which is 30x 2016 free cash flow. Currently, analysts are estimating 2017 EPS of $3.40. Fiscal year 2017 earnings are scheduled to be released on August 18, so investors should be aware that there may be volatility in the company's shares in the next couple of weeks. Investors may be best served by holding off on purchasing shares in this quality company until there is a price correction.

Disclosure: I/we have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours.

I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

Editor's Note: This article discusses one or more securities that do not trade on a major U.S. exchange. Please be aware of the risks associated with these stocks.

Read more:
Estee Lauder - A Gorgeous Valuation - Seeking Alpha

First, fragmentation

"Brands need to streamline teams in order to eliminate inefficiencies and inaccuracies. This has become even more critical because the number of internal and external teams that touch a single campaign are at an all-time high. On average, we see more than six different companies touching a single social campaign, a number up 224 percent over the past 24 months," said Jason Beckerman, CEO and Co-founder at Unified. "Without a data management platform to deliver the right business intelligence to all the players involved-- there's been an uptick in lost learnings and data. It's more people, more problems right now."

Second, complexity of supply chains

"The demand for connectivity is at an all-time high as we watch social advertising continue to grow. To visualize this complexity, picture a global consumer-packaged goods brand with hundreds of sub-brands within its portfolio (along with multiple partners and agencies coordinating to advertise across several social channels...)," said Beckerman. "Brands must place a larger focus on staying organized as it's only going to get more and more complex."

Third, more customization

"The hyper-personalization of campaigns is also expanding. To be exact, 184% increase in average campaigns per client YOY. Social is unique in that it is more conducive to deploying one-to-one or extremely personalized targeting that is much more challenging to achieve in other forms of digital advertising-- allowing you to deliver the right message to the right people at the right time," said Beckerman.

Fourth, ownership concerns

"The number of teams, supply chains and campaigns are three times the amount they were just one year ago. The data produced (or rather, data exhaust) by these factors has followed suit. As a result, brands that do not have total control over their growing number of ad accounts do not actually own their own data," said Beckerman. "The scope of this challenge is daunting, making it mission-critical for marketers to get on centralizing and aggregating their data. As this trend is expected to continue, it is critical for marketers to confidently own their data and leverage business intelligence to take command of and optimize the fastest-growing piece of their paid media mix."

Tags: advertising, social marketing, social marketing tips, social marketing trends, Unified

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Top 4 trends to watch in social - BizReport