creed's not doing it.  they're not that savvy.  there are professionals whose job it is to convince people to buy records.  shitloads of people bought vanilla ice, milli vanilli, c&c music factory...and more people are buying N'Sync records right now than Creed records.  Do the decisions of hordes of impressionable, twelve year-old little girls to buy cookie-cutter, annoying albums imply anything about N'Sync's talent?   no...it is a well-marketed group.  and their demographic is twelve to seventeen year-olds that love ear candy.  creed does indeed have a broader demographic...by statistical research done at WBRU, they appeal mostly to 18-34 year-olds of all ranges of salary.  that just means that their promoters have had to adjust their marketing accordingly.  so, yes, many people have been effectively brainwashed into buying their albums.  I was part of a business whose SOLE JOB WAS TO BRAINWASH PEOPLE into buying albums!  Creed included.