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• Greenway infrastructure in Zengcheng is being rapidly constructed and successfully promoted by the media. • The average staying time of outdoor users in greenway is shorter than that of ordinary roads. • Outdoor users are more interested in scenery outside the greenway than in and along it. • The greenway in Zengheng was less attractive for the public to spend leisure time and take landscape photos there. • The user preferences and usage habits reflect the gap between actual user needs and the spatial planning of greenways guided by the top-down branding policy. • Policy-makers could thus use the tools of city brandin to make improved spatial images and appeal to more outdoor users. Examining the functional conditions of completed infrastructure will contribute new knowledge of practical performance to the original place branding. This paper evaluates greenway branding as a type of green resource branding with particular attention to media promotion, users' outdoor activity trajectories, and the image content of geo-tagged photos. We found that greenway infrastructure in Zengcheng, Guangzhou increasingly generated concerns from more visitors and residents by the media. However, according to geographical activity information, only 35% of outdoor activities in Zengcheng take place within the greenway. Meanwhile, the average staying time of outdoor users at the greenway is shorter than that on ordinary roads. Our analysis of the number of geo-tagged photos indicates that outdoor users are more interested in the scenery outside the greenway than that in and along it. Comparing outdoor users' staying time and the content of photos, our research shows that the public finds Zengcheng's greenway less attractive for spending leisure time and taking landscape photos. Additionally, our image content analysis indicates that the greenway images taken by outdoor users include mainly trees, sky, and roads, while those of mountains and water are less common due to the limited variety of scenery. The implication of our research is that greenway usage can be improved by involving outdoor users in greenway planning, enhancing the variety of scenery along greenways, and establishing connections to rural resorts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]