Bands like Nickelback are the modern equivalent of what Journey, Styx, and Boston were in the 70's and 80's: the critics hate them, but millions of people love them. They're not trying to reinvent the wheel, and I'm positive they can give less than two-shits that I -- or anybody else for that matter -- dislike them.
That's exactly how I look at it aswell. Whenever I find an obscure band that I really like I do everything I can to try and promote them.
That's why I like it so much. And that's why I like Nickelback so much. They've created their own sound (in a sense), so deviating from their sound would alienate way too many fans. Obviously, they're in a good place to branch out and experiment a little bit, which I'm sure they're doing to some degree, but they're never going to stray too far away from their signature sound. I think that's why I like them so much, to be honest. Like I said before, I've never heard a Nickelback song I didn't like.
Not every band can be Dream Theater. Someone has to stick with just writing rock songs, and that's what bands like Nickelback and the Foo Fighters are for. and it's not a bad thing, it's still a talent.
There's enough interesting bands to avoid bands like Nickelback. Infact there's far too many, and one does not have time to listen to all of them. Foo Fighters i do like occasionally though.