My career began at luxury watch retailer Tourneau (now Bucherer), where I learned firsthand what made customers choose one brand over another. As the second-highest performer in the Atlanta store, I witnessed which marketing strategies moved people and which only made noise.
This insight became foundation of everything I’ve done since.
In 2005, I launched The Lilian Raji Agency understanding the gap between what brands thought they were saying and what customers actually heard.
One of my superpowers is knowing how to guide clients to ensure PR, marketing and sales worked together.
I’ve spent over 20 years quietly transforming how brands communicate, position themselves and grow almost entirely through referrals, letting my clients speak for me.
I led the press strategy transforming Govberg Jewelers into WatchBox, the global pre-owned luxury watch platform. The resulting media coverage, with multiple full-page features in The New York Times, Bloomberg, The Wall Street Journal and more, catalyzed a $100 million funding round from a Hong Kong investment group and later attracted investors like Michael Jordan.
I orchestrated a blockbuster film strategy which increased demand by 600% for emerging jewelry designer Claudio Pino after securing organic product placement of his work in “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.” That single placement, along with the press strategy I executed thereafter, changed the trajectory of his career.
I earned the full endorsement of the Quebec Government Delegation with my comprehensive strategy to introduce 14 of Quebec’s finest jewelry artists to the U.S. market, creating networking, sales, and media opportunities giving them a permanent foothold in America.
I’ve advised luxury brands across continents—French brands S.T. Dupont, Clerc and Mathon Paris, Japanese brand Ikeuchi, Swiss brands Mondaine and Dubey & Schaldenbrand, Italian brand Garavelli, British brand Christopher Ward, and dozens more—helping them shape strategy for the US luxury consumer.
But here’s what else clients say about working with me:
One session with Lilian delivered more than my last 6 months of researching marketing strategy. She has a skill of listening and understanding who you are and where you want to go. The most amazing thing was she shows you what you already know but didn’t realize you did while also disavowing you of any misconceptions you may have. This woman is pure magic.
When you hire Lilian Raji, you give your everything she needs then get out of your way! Her energy and passion for the work she does is incredible. She just doesn’t come to you with ideas, she already knows exactly how she will get it done. Ideas are cheap; precise execution is priceless. That skill for execution is how Lilian was able to take Govberg Jewelers, and then WatchBox, to a level of visibility that made my job easier in attracting the right partners and investors.
Lilian’s expertise and extensive knowledge of PR and marketing was invaluable in helping us determine how to proceed when Tournaire first entered the U.S. She openly shares her vast network of relationships to help us advance our business, connecting us with the right people at the right time. She’s very passionate, results-driven, and unafraid to tell you if she feels there’s a better way to do things.
When we decided to make an entrance into the US market, Lilian Raji was recommended to us first by the French Trade Commission. Lilian was invaluable in helping us understand the US customer while advising us on the best tactics to make our presence known. We’ve been featured in publications from Robb Report to The New York Times, and have valued our relationship with her.
We hired Lilian Raji when raffle ticket sales for our sponsorship of UNICEF’s Designs of Hope was falling short of projection. With only six weeks before deadline, Lilian executed an aggressive, strategic marketing plan that catapulted raffle ticket sales from just under $1,000 to over $12,000. Her creativity and innate understanding of marketing challenges helped us succeed in an area we’re we had almost given up hope.
The Lilian Raji Agency has proven to be a great asset in our US marketing strategy. Within a very short timeline, Lilian pulled together a media dinner during New York City Fashion Week attended by editors of Esquire, Worth, GQ, Forbes, International Herald Tribune, Elite Traveler, Robb Report and several others. She then coordinated a reciprocal event the same week in Los Angeles, culminating in our presence at the Emmy Awards. Lilian proved to be entirely vested in our success, working as if ST Dupont was was her own company.
When I’m not in strategy sessions or writing communications plans, I’m sharing what I’ve learned, penning the decade long column, “Dear Lilian: The PR Advisor” for National Jeweler Magazine. I’ve guest written luxury industry analysis for Glossy, Luxury Society, Luxury Daily and more.
My writing now is almost exclusively for Forbes.com as a contributor for my column, “The Pursuit of Luxury,” which has delivered exclusive access to CEOs and CMOs of some the world’s leading luxury brands, including JP Morgan Chase, Aston Martin, Faena Group and more. My VC and angel investor series puts in proximity to those who can accelerate your growth. I continue learning what’s moving markets through these intimate conversations with recognized captains of industry.
I’m also a 15-year student of Shinkendo (Japanese swordfighting), I race cars in my free time, and I’ve traveled to over 100 cities across more than 30 countries. I bring the same intensity to exploring the world I bring to transforming brands. Life’s too short for mediocrity in anything.
