Major conceptual differences exist between critical communication scholars and marketing researchers in their approaches to the study of international advertising. In marketing research, the conceptual framework is characteristically built around the multinational corporation, while critical communication scholarship stresses the nation-state. The two approaches also differ in their conceptualization of the relationship among nations (dependency versus interdependency), the consumer (creation of needs versus fulfillment of preexisting needs), development and advertising, and the relationship between advertising and media systems. A careful analysis of these two approaches can help in constructing a more realistic agenda for research on international advertising. (FL)