Snap Inc. is looking to land deals with agency holding companies in advance of its initial public offering. But, as the Wall Street Journal reports, "it isn’t just cozying up to the media buying firms that control billions in ad spending." Snap, which owns Snapchat, is partnering with Interpublic Group of Cos. to sponsor a startup investment program run by IPG’s digital marketing agency R/GA. "Snap, R/GA and IPG will select up to 10 startups in the marketing technology category that make it easier for brands to create mobile content, such as companies dabbling in artificial intelligence and data and …

A November study by Marketo found that predictive tools were the main technology that U.S. marketers planned to use in 2017, with nearly 70% of respondents saying they had such plans, according to an eMarketer article. The study surveyed 620 marketers in the U.S., Australia, France, Germany, and the U.K. Predictive tools seemed less important in the other countries in the survey. The eMarketer article defines predictive marketing as "the use of data science to determine which marketing actions are likely to succeed and which are likely to fail."

Just as Snap Inc. is about to file for its initial public offering, Techcrunch reports that Instagram Stories may be stealing a little of Snapchat's thunder. Analytics providers, social media celebrities, and talent managers told TechCrunch that they’ve seen a decline in Snapchat Stories usage since Instagram Stories launched on Aug. 2, according to a report in Techcrunch. "Most reported declines in Snapchat Stories view counts ranging from 15 to 40 percent, and a reduction in how often they or those they monitor post to Snapchat Stories."  Techcrunch sources report growing view counts on Instagram Stories, and engagement-to-follower rates. "The …