A study investigated advertising executives' perceptions of the importance of culture in international advertising, as well as advertising message approaches used by international corporations. It was hypothesized that more nonculturally oriented managers would agree to the use of the same creative strategies to advertise in both domestic and foreign markets than would culturally oriented managers. The sample consisted of 118 firms from the 1985 Fortune magazine directory of the 500 largest industrial companies; of these, 96 international advertising managers whose companies' business networks represented 120 countries, completed a mailed questionnaire. The hypothesis was supported. Results indicated that managers generally perceive culture to be somewhat important in international advertising campaign. These executives placed more importance on language, aesthetics, and values than they did on other cultural variables, such as economics, kinship, technology, social structure, religion, attitudes, and literacy. Findings also indicated that two groups of advertising managers emerged from the analysis of data: culturally oriented managers and nonculturally oriented managers. In designing messages for foreign markets, culturally oriented managers emphasize the use of diverse frames of reference through the use of varied message content, layout, symbols, appeals, and themes, as opposed to managers who use the same message elements regardless of any particular country or situation. Findings indicated that about 75% of the firms followed a localized approach in their international advertising campaigns, and that the use of a standardized approach seems to be decreasing. (Tables of data are included and a brief questionnaire sample is appended.) (NKA)