Purpose - This paper aims to investigate the relationship between a firm's "ICON" archetype, turbulence in its operating environment and its performance. Design/methodology/approach - A questionnaire-based survey of 258 marketing managers in South Africa used a modified ICON scale to identify archetypes, assess perceived turbulence, and measure performance with respect to profitability, market share and growth rate. Findings - The archetype to which a firm conforms depends to some extent on its perception of environmental turbulence, and has an influence on all aspects of its performance. "Isolate" firms tend to under-perform on all measures; "shapers" exhibit significantly higher rates of growth. Research limitations/implications - The limitations are associated with mail surveys, single-respondent bias, and subjective assessment of performance. The study nevertheless demonstrates the validity and usefulness of the ICON matrix and scale, and sets directions for further investigation. Practical implications - Offers a simple yet powerful way for marketing managers and planners to identify their firm's ICON archetype, and illustrates the impact it can have on performance. Originality/value - A managerially useful adaptation of the original ICON scale is applied beyond the conventional setting of North America or Europe, in a challenging managerial environment.