Vespa is the kind of brand that other brands want to be. The name is so well-known that many people simply think the entire category of cute, unibody scooters are called "Vespas." Not only that, but the people who own them tend to like them. A lot.

The company that owns the Vespa brand, Piaggio, wants to hear from those people. Today, its Vespa USA division is launching a three-pronged social-media campaign, asking Vespa owners to share their photos or stories about "La Vespa Vita" (the Vespa Life), which will live at a "community-powered" site.

The easiest way to contribute is to submit Vespa-themed photos. Any pics submitted to Instagram or Flickr with the tag #VespaVita will get combined with hundreds of others into a crowd-sourced mosaic photo. Now, if you think your personal style embodies a "unique sense of style and fun," you can tag a pic of yourself with a short description on Twitter or Instagram with the tag #VespaStyle (owning a Vespa is optional).

"It's safe to say this is Vespa USA's first foray into social media by involving the community," Melissa R. MacCaull, vice president of Piaggio Group Americas, told Mashable. "We thought there were so many photos and stories being shared in the digital space that we thought it would be great if there were a place to keep it all."

Finally, if you've got a gift for the written word (and a thing for Vespas), you can become a blogger. The Vespa blog posts about "trends, personalities, history, culture and adventures of life associated with the distinctive lifestyle statement that is Vespa."

For most other brands, asking fans to share their "lifestyle" with the product would be laughable, but for Vespa, they're already doing it. The company's Facebook page has close to a million Likes (plus another 30,000 or so on the the Vespa USA page), and searching for Vespa on Flickr yields hundreds of thousands of random Vespa photos, all uploaded by enthusiasts. There's even a Vespa-themed restaurant on New York City's Upper East Side (good wine).

Channeling that natural enthusiasm for Vespa into a campaign feels like a no-brainer. What do you Vespa fans think? Will you contribute to "La Vespa Vita"? Tell us your thoughts in the comments.

Images courtesy of Flickr, jorge.correa